Joker is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the script with Scott Silver. Based on the character of the same name from DC Comics, the film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. Joker is set in 1981, and represents Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian, who is driven insane and engages in a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City.
Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Marc Maron, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge and Brian Tyree Henry, among others, appear in supporting roles. Produced by Village Roadshow Pictures, DC Films, Sikelia Productions, Joint Effort Productions and Green Hat Films and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures is part of DC Black, a series of films based on DC characters separated from the DC Extended Universe. There is no relation to the other versions of the character previously seen in the cinema.