David Fincher’s Somewhat Salty Thoughts On Joker

Last year’s Joker brought home another golden statue for DC and Warner Bros. While given much praise by both fans and critics, some folks took issue with the film’s portrayal of mental illness. Recently, acclaimed director David Fincher gave his thought on the film. He thinks Joker wouldn’t have come about with the success of The Dark Knight, and he’s tired of pretending otherwise,

Fincher recently spoke with The Telegraph and had some rather strong words that perhaps even border on salty, about last year’s Joker film. You can check out what he had to say below.

“Nobody would have thought they had a shot at a giant hit with Joker had The Dark Knight not been as massive as it was. I don’t think ­anyone would have looked at that material and thought, ‘Yeah, let’s take [Taxi Driver’s] Travis Bickle and [The King of Comedy’s] Rupert Pupkin and conflate them, then trap him in a betrayal of the mentally ill, and trot it out for a billion dollars.

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More from Fincher:

“I’m sure that Warner Bros thought at a certain price, and with the right cast, and with De Niro coming along for the ride, it would be a possible double or triple. But I cannot imagine that movie would have been released had it been 1999.”

I don’t disagree with Fincher, I just see the mash-up of old ideas in a different way. Sure, Heath Ledger changed the role of the Joker forever. And it’s likely the studio would have never greenlit Joker had The Dark Knight never been made. However, the character is iconic as Batman’s arch-nemesis.

With Joaquin Phoenix in the role and the concept of the film, I think it may have still been made. Though who knows if Phoenix would have taken the role, or if Phillips would have pitched the idea without the popularity of Ledger’s Joker. Though I totally agree with Fincher it wouldn’t have happened back in 1999. If it did, an R rating would likely have been out of the question.

Do you agree or disagree with David Fincher? Let us know in the comments down below!

Source: The Telegraph