Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for Joker, its upcoming origin story for the classic Batman villain. It’s directed by Todd Phillips, and it stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character.
The trailer gives us our first look at Phoenix’s depiction of the character, a clown and comedian from Gotham named Arthur who seems to have fallen on hard times. He’s beaten up and humiliated on the streets and in the subway, and he muses, “Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?”
The disturbing teaser, set to a somber cover of Nat King Cole's "Smile," released on Wednesday shows Joaquin Phoenix's character's transformation from a momma's boy to the Clown Prince of Crime.
"I used to think that my life was a tragedy," Arthur says. "But now I realize ... it's a comedy."
Joker hits theaters on October 4, 2019.