Whenever icons of people’s childhoods are interpreted differently, or made a little bit more “adult,” there are those who get mighty defensive of the old ways. That’s pretty much the entire conversation revolving around Quentin Tarantino’s potential R-rated Star Trek.
But one character that you wouldn’t think this debate would apply to would be the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime’s always been a horrific menace, occasionally funny, and in his best form, always terrifying. So the news on Sunday that Todd Phillips’ grim-looking and upcoming film would be rated R was met with a lot of approval.
However, there are still some people out there who don’t think the hard R’s necessary, saying that Phillips is taking too many liberties with the source material. But The Hangover director doesn’t seem too worried about what they think. Responding to one such grump who advised him to pick up a comic book and learn the true origins of the Joker, Phillips responded with some blunt advice:
“You might want to skip this one.”
It’s a little strange to hear a filmmaker steer people away from their project, but in reality, it’s a rather distinctive display of commanding the fandom crowd. The simple truth of the matter’s that with a property like Batman, it’s nearly impossible to please everyone.
With that said, the presence of Joaquin Phoenix will surely add something quite powerful to the film. Insiders have said months ago that the celebrated actor’s “guaranteed an Oscar nomination,” and with a plot consisting of “continual punches to the gut,” we may be getting more than just another comic book movie.
Personally, Joker‘s one of the films I’m looking forward to most this year. But what about you? Are you excited to see an R-rated Joaquin Phoenix causing chaos in Gotham City? Let us know in the comment section below.