Joaquin Phoenix starrer 'Joker' not inspired from comics: Todd Phillips

Bad news for all the comic book fans! If you were thinking that the upcoming film 'Joker' starring Joaquin Phoenix, will be based on the comics, don't wait for it as it's not on the cards.

The upcoming flick movie will be a wholly original take on the iconic Gotham villain, reported Entertainment Weekly.

The director of the film, Todd Phillips, ruled out the possibility of the film being based on the comics.

"We didn't follow anything from the comic books, which people are gonna be mad about," writer-director Todd Phillips told Empire, as cited by Entertainment Weekly.

"We just wrote our own version of where a guy like Joker might come from. That's what was interesting to me. We're not even doing Joker, but the story of becoming Joker. It's about this man," he added.

His comments seem to slam all the fan speculations that the movie might follow portions of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's legendary comic titled 'Batman: The Killing Joke', that featured the origin story for the Clown Prince of Crime. The comic told the story of an aspiring comedian whose mob dealings eventually land him into a vat of chemicals at the hands of Batman.

Although the trailer, which released on April 3, may have appeared close to the source material, Phillips said that the narrative will be completely different.

Phillips also stated that his team has full faith in Phoenix's ability to make the role his own. The 'Walk the Line' actor was his first choice to play the character of Joker.

"I think he's the greatest actor. We had a photo of him above our computer while we were writing. We constantly thought, 'God, imagine if Joaquin actually does this'," Phillips said.

The psychological thriller will feature Joaquin as the classic bad boy of the DC universe. The chilling first trailer of the crime drama gives the audience the first look at Phoenix's character, a clown and comedian from Gotham who seems to have fallen on hard times.

The trailer also gives a sneak peek into his enthralling transformation from Phoenix's character Arthur to Joker. In the trailer, he can be seen trying out different Joker outfits, before finally dying his hair green and featuring in his signature costume.

The fascinating trailer also gives a glimpse of some of the most dramatic moments in the film. The dialogue 'put on a happy face' is enough to remind the viewers of the creepiness related to the character of Joker.

Apart from Phoenix essaying the titular role, the film will also star Dante Pereira-Olson, who will play the young Bruce Wayne, and Douglas Hodge, who will essay the role of the butler Alfred Pennyworth.

The psychological drama also stars veteran Robert De Niro and Marc Maron of 'Deadpool 2' fame.

The film follows the origin of Batman's most notorious enemy as he transforms from a struggling stand-up comedian to a full-blown criminal.

Put on a happy face as the film is scheduled to hit the big screens on October 4, 2019.