By the standards of major comic book movies, Todd Phillips’ Joker has proven to be exceptionally generous with its set material. But amidst the many pics and clips that have surfaced in recent months, one major reveal that we’ve been left waiting for is the sound of Joaquin Phoenix’s maniacal laugh in the title role.
That may have changed, however, with a new video making the rounds that allegedly features the sound of Arthur Fleck giggling away. As it stands, we don’t even know for sure that this recording came from the set of the upcoming DC flick, let alone if Phoenix is actually the one doing the laughing, but until anything more concrete surfaces, this lo-fi audio is the best evidence we’ve got go on, and it doesn’t sound half bad.
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Of course, it’s long been assumed by many that Joaquin Phoenix would have the chops for the role, and sure enough, reports relaying word from inside sources seem to indicate that the Oscar nominee has “crushed it” as the Clown Prince of Crime. Whether the film as a whole can do both the Joker and Phoenix’s performance justice is another matter, but again, early reports allege good things.
Interestingly, Phoenix’s co-star Zazie Beetz told MTV News a few weeks ago that the script was being constantly rewritten during filming, suggesting a spontaneous method that sounds more typical of indie cinema than major franchise fare. The actress explained that Phoenix was losing a lot of weight for the film, too, meaning that any changes couldn’t be saved for reshoots. We’ll find out what sort of movie emerges from this on-the-fly approach when Joker hits theaters on October 4th, 2019.