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Three-time Oscar nominated actor, Joaquin Phoenix has been known to pull off an amazing transformation from time to time. From Johnny Cash in 2005's Walk the Line, to his recent take on Jesus Christ in this year's Mary Magdalene, the actor's incredible range seems to know no bounds. Next, Phoenix will soon take on one of the most iconic villains out of DC Comics as the Joker, in an intriguing character study of the crazed villain's origin story. As Joker gets ready to film this fall in New York City, Phoenix was recently spotted walking about the city, and looking noticeably thinner than usual. While in other prior appearances, the 43-year-old actor has sported a look typical of most middle-aged men, he now looks real skinny just in time to become the Joker.
The new pictures of Joaquin Phoenix posted on Just Jared, could serve as a bit of a sneak peek of how he will look as the Joker... well, except for the infamous make-up and bright colors the character is known to wear. As Phoenix was captured on a day out in NYC, his dark jeans seem to start to sink below his waist and his blue shirt had plenty of room to breathe. Because each actor who has stepped up to play the Joker has looked vastly different from the one before him, how Phoenix's Joker will look is anyone's guess. Since the film said it is opting for "an exploration of a man disregarded by society" that will be "gritty," I would think that this iteration would be the most realistic and darkest depiction yet.
Joker will be helmed by Hangover director, Todd Phillips, with The Fighter writer, Scott Silver, co-writing the script with Phillips, and Martin Scorsese reportedly on board to produce. The film is an outlier from typical DC live-action adaptations, as it will live outside the DCEU, with Jared Leto still also keeping his status as the Joker in Suicide Squad 2 and in his own standalone Joker film. This Joker will be working with a budget of $55 million, which is notably low for a movie as high-profile as this. The movie has gotten underway pretty quickly, as Joaquin Phoenix was confirmed to play the titular character just one month ago and the cameras are going to start rolling within the month.
While playing the Joker comes with high expectations from fans, Joaquin Phoenix recently expressed his relaxed approach to the role. He doesn't seem to be motivated by the prior influence of the character, only to the unique draw the character had for him with this specific adaptation, and how the story will be told. Phoenix's version of the Joker is set to come to theaters on October 4, 2019, with production soon underway.