First Look: Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker

Sorry Bat-fans, looks like the joke's on you.

Director Todd Phillips has shared this boringly ordinary first official image of Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker.

Phillips, who made The Hangover trilogy of films, is currently working on a "gritty" origin story that will show how the rather serious looking Arthur came to be a wild and crazy anarchic super villain.

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Arthur.

A post shared by Todd Phillips (@toddphillips1) on Sep 16, 2018 at 12:12pm PDT

The photo is clearly pre-Joker, before Arthur gets himself some green hair dye, red lipstick, dapper purple suit and a whole lot of crazy.

The movie, which is due for release next year, has been described as an "exploration of a man disregarded by society that is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale".

It is not the only Joker film currently in production. Jared Leto is also starring in and producing a Joker movie based on his portrayal of the clown prince of crime from the Academy Award winning ('Best Makeup and Hairstyling') Suicide Squad.