‘Joker’ Director Says DC Comics Fans ‘Are Gonna Be Mad’ About Movie

“Joker” clearly has its own spin on the famous Batman villain. Trailers for the Joaquin Phoenix movie have made it clear that the story departs from the comics, but director Todd Phillips has revealed that it doesn’t take much at all from the source material.

“We didn’t follow anything from the comic-books, which people are gonna be mad about,” Phillips admitted to Empire.

Instead, the DC movie imagines an entirely new version of the character, Arthur Fleck (Phoenix). The film, which was written by Phillips and Scott Silver, shows the vulnerable man as he becomes one of Gotham City’s greatest villains.

“We just wrote our own version of where a guy like Joker might come from,” the director said. “That’s what was interesting to me. We’re not even doing Joker, but the story of becoming Joker. It’s about this man.”

Warner Bros. doesn’t seem bothered by the departure from the comic books. It looks like the studio even thinks “Joker” could be an Oscar contender. According to Deadline, the WB wants to keep the DC movie away from San Diego Comic-Con in July — traditionally a must-attend for comic book flicks — and instead is hoping to debut it at Venice Film Festival, a launch pad for Oscar buzz. The lineup will be confirmed July 25.

The killer character has had good luck at the Academy Awards before. Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for playing the Joker in “The Dark Knight.” The Academy also proved that they’re willing to honor superhero movies last year when “Black Panther” was nominated for best picture. It didn’t win in that category but received gold men in three others.

“Joker” hits theaters Oct. 4. It also stars Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais and Shea Whigham.