Entertainment

Fans predict Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker will rival Heath Ledger’s following trailer

The film is due for release near the end of this year.
The film is due for release near the end of this year. The film is due for release near the end of this year.

Joaquin Phoenix’s take on the Joker character may rival that of Heath Ledger’s, fans have said.

A first-look teaser trailer for the upcoming Joker film, directed by Todd Phillips, shows Phoenix playing the creepy character.

View this post on Instagram

Teaser trailer tomorrow. #JokerMovie

A post shared by Todd Phillips (@toddphillips1) on

A two-minute video shared on the film’s official Twitter account shows Phoenix as a street performer whose treatment at the hands of others causes him to go mad.

“I used to think that my life was a tragedy,” he says. “Now I realise that it’s a comedy.”

The teaser has gone down a storm with fans who have been posting messages online praising Phoenix’s “mind-blowing” performance.

Former Doctor Who actress Karen Gillan was among those expressing their excitement.

She tweeted: “OH MY GOD just saw the trailer for Joker and it is quite clearly one of my most anticipated films to see ever!!! THAT IS A BIT OF ME wowowowowow”.

“i got the creeps… im excited, joaquin is an amazing actor, i trust him,” said another person.

“Just watched #Joker trailer. OMG! thats totally mind blowing. #JaquinPhoenix nailed it,” tweeted another.

Another posted: “Joaquin Phoenix as The Joker in the teaser trailer is absolutely mind blowing. We don’t even need to watch the movie, just give him an Oscar in advance for the scenes in the trailer.”

Many people said the actor’s performance looked likely to be as memorable as the one Ledger gave as the Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight.

One fan mused it would be “special”:

Another wondered if this would surpass Ledger’s take on the character:

Another person offered their prediction:

While there was also the question of whether or not Phoenix may “knock Ledger off the Joker pedestal”:

One fan said Ledger – who died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in January 2008 – “would be smiling from the heavens”.

Joker is due to be released later this year.