Entertainment Weekly Joker
The Ultimate Guide to Joker
The Ultimate Wild Card • Dreamed up more than eight decades ago, a villainous clown called the Joker shamelessly stole the comics spotlight with his heinous humor, frustrating Batman and fascinating fans to this day.
The Joker Juggernaut • Holy box office, Batman! When the Caped Crusader’s spinoff franchise Joker hit screens in 2019, the dark drama became the biggest worldwide launch for an October opening ever. With its ambitious follow-up slated for this October, EW explores how the Clown Prince of Crime stole the spotlight.
Funny Business • IN ORDER TO MAKE JOKER, DIRECTOR TODD PHILLIPS AND HIS TEAM FIRST HAD TO UNMAKE ALL THAT FANS KNEW ABOUT THE CHARACTER. FOR ITS HOTLY ANTICIPATED SEQUEL, THEY TAKE THE REIMAGINING TO EVEN WILDER EXTREMES.
Wait, Is That…Bradley Cooper? • Flexing his Hollywood muscle, the movie star stealthily worked behind the scenes to make the supervillain movie a super smash.
Let’s Get Physical • For Joker, Joaquin Phoenix virtually disappeared into his character. Here are some of the ways he and his collaborators pulled off the startling transformation.
Joker’ Is No Laughing Matter • Our critic admired how the harrowing film drilled into Arthur Fleck’s tortured psyche and applauded the claustrophobically committed lead performance by Joaquin Phoenix.
Those Scene-Stealing Stairs • Thanks to Joker, an imposing set of steps in the Bronx has become an iconic cinematic landmark—and a major tourist draw.
Behind That Maniacal Music • To capture the sounds of psychosis, the filmmakers turned to rising composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. Her eclectic, emotional compositions inspired scenes on-set—and scored her an Oscar.
A Survey of Supermusicals • Joker’s sequel isn’t the first superhero/villain story to tap into tunes to tell its tale. These five others gave it a go too. Some flew, others flamed out.
Down to Clown • Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are just the latest in a long line of bold actors who’ve plastered on the face paint to play the sadistic Joker and his lady love Harley Quinn. On screens big and small, these performances keep revealing fascinating new facets of the psycho duo’s psyches.
Out of the Gate With Greatness • The first live-action take on the Joker was entrusted to a sultry big-screen seducer. His gutsy embrace of the character’s inherent campiness made audiences fall in love with him in a whole new way.
Putting Fear Into the Frivolity • For the second big-screen Joker, Tim Burton turned to a Hollywood heavyweight who dialed down the campy clowning in favor of dark derangement. Comic-book movies would never be the same.
The One That Set the Standard • ‘You have never seen anything like it in your life,’ said costar Michael Caine, and he wasn’t exaggerating. Ledger’s go-for-broke turn was so incredible that even the star’s shocking death didn’t eclipse the work.
Remembering Heath Ledger • Following the exceptional actor’s tragic death at 28, one admirer tried to process the loss by revisiting the many highlights of a far-too-short life.
Using the Method for His Madness • Following in Heath Ledger’s inimitable footsteps proved to be an incredibly daunting task. In Leto’s strenuous efforts to disappear into character and rattle his cast, the actor went whole hog.
The Best of the Rest • With a singular mix of mirth and menace, the dastardly Joker has proved to be pure catnip for actors who love a challenge. These 10 MVPs all knocked it out of the park.
Home Away From Home • For some 50 years Arkham Asylum has remained Gotham’s go-to sanatorium, the one place where a certain frequent resident called the Joker can really let his freak flag fly.
A Harley Quinn Herstory • IN TRACING THE...