'Joker' First Poster Shows Irony as Dark and Disturbing Footage Is Released at CinemaCon
Warner Bros. Pictures
Movie

Joaquin Phoenix's titular character puts on 'a happy face' with his head held up and his face smeared with blood in the artwork, as the first footage hints at his psychological turmoil.

AceShowbiz - Todd Phillips has unveiled the first poster for "Joker" via his Instagram page. Debuted on the same day the movie was previewed during the Warner Bros. presentation in Las Vegas, the artwork hints at the dark take on the tale of Batman's nemesis.

The one-sheet captures irony as it features a tagline which says, "Put on a Happy Face," while Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck doesn't look happy. Putting on his clown face makeup, he appears to be performing. His head is held up and one of his hands is raised, with what looks like blood smears on his face.

Along with the poster, the director told fans that the first teaser trailer for the movie would be officially released on Wednesday, April 3.

Meanwhile, audience at CinemaCon managed to get early sneak peek at the movie as the first footage was released during the presentation. The footage hints at Arthur's emotional turmoil as he's seen in a psychiatrist's office. "Does it help to have someone to talk to?" the doctor asks him.

A failed stand-up performer who is slowly losing touch with reality, he muses, "My mom used to tell me to smile and put on a happy face. I thought my purpose was to bring laughter and joy to the world." At one point, he is seen pushing his mouth into a macabre grin while looking into a mirror in the dressing room.

He gets hit by several guys on the street, prompting him to ask, "Is it just me or is it getting crazier out there?" He gets beaten up again in a subway, but he just keeps laughing this time. He's also seen with Zazie Beetz's Sophie Dumond, walking to Arkham hospital, and in an ambulance. There's a glimpse of Bruce Wayne's father Thomas (Brett Cullen) appearing on television.

As the world is getting mad, Arthur transforms into the evil Clown Prince of Crime. "I used to think my life was a tragedy," he mutters. "But now I realize... that it's a comedy."

At the presentation, Phillips said that a lot of the rumors and reports about what "Joker" is about were inaccurate. "But that's to be expected when making a film about a character that has no definitive origin story," he added.

Robert De Niro, Shea Whigham, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron and Douglas Hodge also star in the movie, which tells the origin of the Batman villain. Phillips also wrote the script. The movie is slated to arrive in the U.S. on October 4.

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