Todd Phillips‘ Joker origins movie finally has a title: Joker. It doesn’t get any more straightforward than that.

And now the film, which will see Joaquin Phoenix play the title role, has a release date. It will now open in theaters on October 4, 2019. Find out what kind of competition it will go up against in the full report below.

According to THR, Joker will now open opposite of Ang Lee’s Gemini Man. The film stars Will Smith as an elite assassin who becomes the target of a mysterious young operative who can seemingly predict his every move. The other film is Joe Wright’s The Woman in the Window starring Amy Adams. The film is based on A.J. Finn’s best-selling novel.

A week after that, Paramount will release their adaptation of Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark, and the animated take on The Addams Family. Other majors titles include Zombieland 2, an Untitled Blumhouse project, and Disney’s Jungle Cruise starring Dwayne Johnson.

Oddly enough, it might also go up against another DC standalone film, Wonder Woman 1984, which opens in theaters on November 1, 2018.

Joker won’t have anything to with the current DCEU. Instead, will it fly under a different banner, one that will allow WB to tell darker and grittier stories about iconic DC characters. The film is being described as an “exploration of a man disregarded by society” that is “not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.” It has been reported that the film will draw inspiration from comic book titles like The Killing Joke, which is considered an exploration into what made the Joker a tragic character.

Budgeted at $55 million, which is significantly lower than most comic book films, Joker begins production later this year. THR adds that Joker will be experimental in tone and content. Early reports said that the film would be in the same vein as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, or The King of Comedy, which makes sense considering that Martin Scorsese has been attached as a producer. It will have more of a gritty hard-boiled crime drama than a traditional comic book movie.

Last month, Phoenix signed a deal to play the character. He was long attached to the role as the project was in early development. Considering the timing of this announcement, one has to wonder if we will get our first look at the character at Comic-Con this weekend. WB’s panel is on Saturday in Hall H at 10:00 AM.

We’ll keep you posted on any developments should they come in.

[Source: THR]