director Todd Phillips has stated that he likes all the previous cinematic incarnations of Batman’s nemesis. The film had its world premiere on August 31 at the 76th Venice International Film Festival to an enthusiastic reception (with some exceptions), and won the Golden Lion, the festival’s highest accolade and one of the film industry’s most prestigious awards, with particular praise being heaped upon Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as the eponymous comedian descending into madness.
Numerous actors have portrayed the Joker in live action over the years, beginning with Caesar Romero in the highly camp Batman TV series in the ‘60s, the movie of which was the character’s first cinematic appearance. He then appeared in Tim Burton’s 1989 movie Batman, played by Jack Nicolson; Titans.
The statement came via an interview posthumously Oscar-winning performance. He responded with a simple “No” and elaborated by stating he loved the interpretations of the character that preceded and followed Ledger, specifically those of Nicolson and Leto.
Phillips went on to compare adaptations of comic book to those of Shakespeare plays, in that there are many versions of The Bard’s works that all stem from the same source material and are equally valid, yet can often have wildly different approaches to adapting it that result in a myriad of different experiences that share the same DNA with the inspiration.
Many people would strongly disagree with Phillips over liking Jared Leto in Suicide Squad, but his viewpoint in permanent staple of the cultural landscape for almost 80 years.
Source: Variety
