Joaquin Phoenix’s ‘Joker’ Likely Heading To The Venice Film Festival

Variety reports Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is likely going to screen at the Venice Film Festival this year.

The 76th Venice Film Festival is set to begin on August 28 of this year and the initial line-up for the event is scheduled to be announced next week. As festival director Alberto Barbera prepares his official selections, Variety notes the U.S. studios are not going to have as much of a presence at the Venice Film Festival this year.

However, the outlet’s sources say director Todd Phillips Joker, which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the eponymous Clown Prince of Crime, is likely to be one of the U.S. films screened at the Venice Film Festival. Many have speculated that Warner Bros. decision to screen Joker at a prestigious festival is a sign the studio will make a major awards season push for the Joaquin Phoenix film.

Fans will find out if Joker will debut at the Venice Film Festival when the scheduled is announced on July 25.

“Joker” centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.

Directed by Todd Phillips from a script he co-wrote with Scott Silver, Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais, and Shea Whigham.

Joker will be released in theaters on October 4, 2019.

Source: Variety