Well, that was fast. Just mere days after Todd Phillips revealed the first look at Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur aka The Joker in The Joker, the director has revealed the character’s first look in full makeup. Check it out the video here below.

Phillips revealed the camera test of Phoenix in character on his personal Instagram account. The video starts off with Phoenix as Arthur sans makeup, before the video uses a shutter effect to reveal a transformation from failed comedian to a clown with a dark grin.

Judging by this look, it seems like this Joker won’t be the traditional character that we all know and love. There will be a few alterations to the his getup. The addition of the blue around his eyes gives it more of a mask look. Remember the gang of robbers wearing clown masks in The Dark Knight, think of that. But there is plenty of white on the face, the green hair, and ruby red lips.

Also gone is the purple jacket. Instead, it looks like we are going back to a classic Caesar Romero look with a touch of grungy Heath Ledger.

And like The Dark Knight, this Joker may experience some deep psychological scars which will push him over the edge and transform him into the Clown Prince Of Crime. So the film may not follow the Joker’s traditional origins where he helps a group of thugs break into a chemical factory, and falls into a vat of acid that bleaches his skin white, dyes his hair green, and colors his lips red.

These sorts of changes make the film that much more interesting. We knew that the film would be a hard-boiled crime drama that is also a gritty character study and a broader cautionary tale. It will draw inspiration from Alan Moore’s “The Killing Joke,” which is considered to be the definitive Joker origins story.

This installment will part of a new DC banner expanding the DC universe with new and unique storylines that aren’t a part of the current DCEU. So the studio can bring in new actors for all new grittier films, while they will continue to shape the current DCEU – which is going through some changes of its own.

Thinking about it now, having multiple Joker films could work in a way that stays true to the character’s vague origins. Though “The Killing Joke” is considered to be the definitive Joker origins story, there have been other times where his origins have been retconned or changed. Even though Jared Leto’s Joker had the acid bath treatment, Phillips take might be different. Of course, this is all speculation.

The Joker also stars Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), who is set to play a single mother who catches the interest of Phoenix’s character before he becomes the Joker. Robert De Niro will play a talk show host who is a key influence in the Joker’s life, while Francis Conroy (American Horror Story) is the Joker’s mother, Marc Maron (Glow) is the Joker’s agent, and Brett Cullen (LOST) will play Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s father.

The Joker opens in theaters on October 4, 2019.

Video

[Source: Todd Phillip’s Instagram]