WATCH: The Trailer For ‘Joker’ Is Every Bit As Intense As Expected

Following in the footsteps of Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker was always going to be an unenviable task. The Australian actor blew movie fans away when playing the role in 2008’s The Dark Knight, which was released just months after his death.

Even though the upcoming Todd Phillips-directed Joker has no connection to Christoper Nolan’s trilogy, whoever was chosen to play the role of the main character was always going to be compared to Ledger.

That man happens to be Joaquin Phoenix and, judging by the first trailer that was released today, he makes a pretty good fist of things. The movie delves deep into Arthur Fleck’s backstory as he slowly transforms from being a failed stand-up comedian into a psychotic criminal mastermind, known as Joker.

The trailer begins with Fleck chatting with a therapist before we see some of the societal actions which evidently form his anger at the world. The clip as intense as expected and will leave you thirsty for the movie’s scheduled release date of October 4.

Check it out below and, hey… why don’t you smile?

SMILE. The first trailer for Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is here. 🥴 pic.twitter.com/c2qTo4E2Ns

— IGN (@IGN) April 3, 2019

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