Dread it. Run From it. That Joker origins movie is coming to theaters whether you like it or not. That’s right, the Joker origins film that will be directed by Todd Phillips, with Martin Scorsese acting as executive producer, officially got the green light from Warner Bros.

And Joaquin Phoenix, who was nearing a deal to star earlier this year, has reached a deal to play as the Joker. But the biggest question is, will the film put a smile on your face? More on the story below.

The Hollywood Reporter says Phoenix has finalized his deal to play the Clown Prince of Crime, and the film is scheduled to begin production in September in New York.

Phillips will direct and co-write the script with Scott Silver. The studio describes the film as an “exploration of a man disregarded by society” that is “not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.” This follows previous reports which said that the film would draw inspiration from The Killing Joke, a comic book by Alan Moore that is considered to be Joker’s true origins story.

The film is said to be in the same vein as Taxi Driver and will be a more of a gritty hard-boiled crime drama than a traditional comic book movie.

WB is said to have given the project a $55 million budget, which is significantly lower than most comic book films. Again, this goes against the grain, with most comic book films having an eight to nine-figure production budget.

The project was first announced last year. It is the second Joker standalone film to be in the works. The other one stars Jared Leto, who played the character in Suicide Squad and will reprise the role in various DCEU films, including the previously announced Joker and Harley Quinn film and maybe Birds of Prey.

As previously reported, this Joker origins film will be a part of a new line of DC films that will fly under a new banner. This new banner would allow the studio to release more films that are not a part of the DC Extended Universe. So new actors will play iconic characters without having to worry about any overlap.

This would not be the first time that Phoenix was considered for a comic book movie role. He was reportedly a candidate to play Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and he was one of the frontrunners to play Doctor Strange back when it was in early production. And we all know how that turned out. Flash forward to 2018, and he was reported to be in talks with Phillips for the lead role in the untitled film. But now the deal is sealed.

WB has not announced a release date. Normally studios announce a major film, like this, years in advance. There is a chance that the film could hit theaters as early as late 2019. But that all depends on various factors.

[Source: THR]