Director Todd Phillips shares a string of behind-the-scenes images on the set of Joker, including one that might reference Catwoman. The latest Warner Bros. superhero film may not have any narrative link to the previously established DCEU, but it still struck a chord to the public evidenced by its growing box office haul. Reviews for the movie have also been generally positive, praising it for its complex narrative and brilliant performances from all actors involved.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck - a failed comedian in the late ’70s/early ’80s who’s set to assume the persona of the Clown Prince of Crime. Boasting a star-studded cast including Robert De Niro’s Murray Franklin, Zazie Beetz’ Sophie Dumond and Brett Cullen’s Thomas Wayne, Joker’s narrative took various unexpected twists and turns. And until the end, it continued to be surprising with the implication that everything that transpired in the movie was nothing but a figment of Fleck’s imagination.

Now that Joker has been out in theaters for a month already, Phillips shares several BTS images while working on the movie. The selection offers fans a look at the process behind the movie. In the caption, the filmmaker expressed his gratitude towards everyone who supported the movie and promised that there will be more snaps like these to come. Check them out below:

The freshly-released string of images from Joker is a mixed bag of behind-the-scenes snaps from different points in the movie. Some of them have Phillips directing a scene, others were taken during a lull time on the set. It also gives fans a closer look at Fleck’s journal which interestingly has a collage of women and cats. Some fans are convinced that this is a subtle nod to Catwoman who is a prominent figure in the Batman lore.

One image, however, in the pile stands out as it encapsulates Phoenix’s process getting into his role in Joker. In the snap, make-up artists retouches the character’s iconic overdrawn lips while the actor sat there, deadpan - perhaps as to not break character even during downtime. Over the years, fans have heard how serious actors took on playing the role. Maybe it has something to do with Heath Ledger’s brilliant performance in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight which won him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, automatically setting the bar high for his successors. However, between stories about how Jared Leto and Phoenix prepared to play the iconic DC villain, there’s an undeniable pressure to play the character well.

It’s unknown if there’s any plans for a Joker sequel considering how well the first film performed both critically and at the box office. Thus far, there are no plans for him to connect to the DCEU or Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman flick starring Robert Pattinson. In any case, given how great Phoenix was in the role, one would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t want him to play the role again.

More: The Truth Behind Jared Leto’s Controversial Joker

Source: Todd Phillips

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