At the press conference of the Venice Film Festival (via ComicBook.com), Todd Phillips broke down some of the intricate differences between his rendition of the iconic Batman villain, played by Joaquin Phoenix and Heath Ledger’s.

I think he becomes, mistakenly, a symbol, and really what he was looking for was adulation. He was never looking for the world to burn, this Joker. As for the past ones, that’s a different thing. But our guy, that wasn’t his goal.” Phillips also went on to say that Arthur Fleck in his film genuinely believes that he was put on this earth to spread joy. Official synopsis of Joker:  Director Todd Phillips Joker centres around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone fictional story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fractured society. A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study. Joker is set to hit Malaysian cinemas on 3 October 2019.

Joker Director Explains Difference Between Joaquin Phoenix and Heath Ledger s Versions - 1