Seeing a specific actor attached to a film is normally not a great barometer for the film’s ultimate success and quality. Even A-listers sign on to some turds from time to time. But for the most part, if you see Brian Tyree Henry attached to star in a film, you might want to set aside time to give that project a look. After roles in “Atlanta,” “Widows,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Henry has been knocking it out of the park almost every single time. So, that gives us some cautious optimism about the upcoming film, “Joker.”
Directed by Todd Phillips (who is pretty hit or miss), “Joker” attempts to tell the origin story to a supervillain that is probably best known for not having much of an origin story to tell. Alas, the film is going to put its own spin on the classic Batman villain, with the help of actors like Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Robert DeNiro, and Henry. And speaking to The Observer, Henry talks about “Joker” and what makes it such a special project, especially in the realm of comic book films.
“Villains are never born that way, they’re made,” said Henry. “There’s something that happens in their lives that they give up their faith in humanity; they see the flaws of humanity and mankind and feel like they must correct it. And what happens with ‘Joker’ is you start to see how he really was a happy person. He really was trying to find this…hope in humanity until it broke him down and he just had to give up and reshape it.”
He continued, “Also, there’s going to be a connection [made] about a boy and his mother. That is another thing that you’re going to see—that he was capable of love at some point.”
From what Henry says, as well as what we’ve learned from other interviews, clearly “Joker” is less interested in the comic book supervillain aspect of the character and much more focused on what makes a seemingly normal man turn into a murderous psychopath that wears clown makeup. That alone is an interesting concept and worthy of a film.
That being said, the thing we aren’t hearing from actors or filmmakers involved in this film is how it ties into the DC comics lore. Not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing, but let’s be real, fans are expecting a certain amount of superhero things in their comic book film, especially when it’s about Batman’s most famous villain. It’ll be interesting to see just how beholden “Joker” is to those fans and if there aren’t many references to comics lore, will the fanbase react okay to that?
We’ll find out soon enough, when “Joker” arrives in theaters on October 4.
