The upcoming Joker origin film starring Joaquin Phoenix might be aiming for an R-rating.
Filming for The Joker is slated to begin this September in New York City, with production expected to last through the end of the year. According to The GWW, the film is targeting an R-rating for nudity involving female characters. The report speculates that strippers may be involved, as some standup comedians get their start in strip clubs.
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The Joker has been fast-tracked, especially given the pedigree cast will appear in the movie. It will not be a part of the greater DC Extended Universe of films, existing instead as a standalone story, comparable to an Elseworld one-shot. The movie has already attracted Marc Maron, Robert De Niro and potentially Zasie Beetz to the cast.
Maron suggested that he is playing a bookie, while De Niro is set to play a talk show host, supporting an earlier theory that the film would be inspired in part by Martin Scorsese’s film King of Comedy – which coincidentally also starred De Niro. The film followed De Niro as a failing comedian who takes a talk show host hostage so he can get a slot on the show.
Warner Bros. has confirmed The Joker will premiere October 4, 2019. This puts its release just a month before Wonder Woman 1984 hits theaters.