Robert De Niro Reveals New Details On His Character In Joaquin Phoenix’s ‘Joker’ Movie

During an interview with Indie Wire, Robert De Niro confirmed his role in Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is a nod to the character he portrayed in Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy.

When the first teaser for Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker debuted fans immediately noted the similarities between the DC film and Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy, a satirical black comedy starring Robert De Niro as a failed comedian named Rupert Pupkin, who stalks and kidnaps his idol, talk show host Jerry Langford, in an attempt to steal the spotlight for himself. In fact, some fans wondered if Robert De Niro’s character in Joker, a television host named Murray Franklin, might be connected to his role in The King of Comedy. While Robert De Niro explained Rupert Pupkin and Murray Franklin are two different characters, he did note that his role in Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker was created in the spirit of his part in the Martin Scorsese film:

“There’s a connection, obviously, with the whole thing. But it’s not as a direct connection as the character I’m playing being Rupert many years later as a host.”

However, Robert De Niro did note that he would have considered reprising his role from the Martin Scorsese film if asked:

“If they would’ve proposed that to me, I would’ve said, ‘That’s interesting, maybe we’ll try to do that. But by making this type of film, it is connected in a way, as you’ll see.

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“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: Indie Wire