Watch Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker in action as he terrorises a train in leaked set video

A new video — the first of its kind — has been leaked from the sets of the stand-alone Joker movie, currently being filmed in New York City under the direction of Todd Phillips. The video shows star Joaquin Phoenix in full costume and makeup as the iconic Batman villain, terrorising a subway station.

Phillips on Saturday had shared the proper first look at the three-time Oscar nominee as the Clown Prince of Crime on his Instagram, perhaps as an effort to beat the paparazzi, who are almost always present on outdoor shoots. A few days prior to that Phillips had shared Phoenix’s first look as Arthur, the Joker’s alter ego in the ’80s-set film.

Expressing his frustration about the leaks, Phillips wrote in an Instagram comment, “Here’s the issue. We have paparazzi all over our set, at every turn. And it bums me out that they constantly put out their bad shots. So I figure, may as well put out some good ones.”

A new set video from ‘JOKER’ has been officially released. (Source: @TMZ) pic.twitter.com/EBk1EHdQF0

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 22, 2018

The leaked video, obtained, as always, by TMZ, shows a subway train pulling into a station. Dozens of passengers spill out of it as soon as its doors open, probably trying to flee what is inside. Soon, the source of their fear becomes clear as several men in clown masks also exit the train. One of them, wearing a maroon coat and green shirt, pulls his mask off and is revealed to be Phoenix.

Seeing him in action gives a clearer look at the character. His appearance seems to be a mixture of the Joker played by Cesar Romero in the ‘60 TV series and the one played by Heath Ledger in 2008’s The Dark Knight. While Phoenix’s costume leans towards the Romero version, his slapdash makeup and greasy green hair is similar to Ledger’s look.

We don't even need official images pic.twitter.com/M1YU8TPSuW

— Rochi Shion (@Marvel_Freshman) September 22, 2018

The character has also been played by Jack Nicholson in the 1989 Batman film and most recently by Oscar-winner Jared Leto, in 2016’s Suicide Squad.

This new Joker film is reportedly the first in a new series of stand-alone movies produced under the DC Dark banner, a separate line of films than the DC Extended Universe. Leto is expected to reprise his role in at least two more DCEU films.

Phillips’ Joker movie is reportedly a period piece inspired by Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. The film has been scheduled for a prime Oscar season release date of October, 2019.

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First Published: Sep 23, 2018 11:27 IST