‘Joker’ Director Todd Phillips Pitched DC Black Division To Warner Bros.

Joker Joaquin Phoenix

When director Todd Phillips pitched a Joker standalone film, he also suggested to Warner Bros. that they start a DC Black division to differentiate from the DCEU and Marvel Studios.

When early reports came out that Todd Phillips and Warner Bros. were developing a Joker standalone film outside of the DCEU, it was also said that it would fall under a new label. This new label was referred to as either being called, “DC Black” or “DC Dark.” Joker currently doesn’t have a official banner associated with it, however it still isn’t connected to the greater DCEU. Based on the first trailer, Joker also looks unlike any comic book film that has come before with an Elseworlds feel.

It was revealed in Empire Magazine, courtesy of Johnny Sobczak, that Todd Phillips pitched the solo Joker film at the War Dogs premiere after party. The Hangover director also pitched to the studio that they should start a new division:

“He suggested they begin a new division called DC Black, separating itself from the current crop of DC films. It was also a way of differentiating from Marvel.”

Todd Phillips thinks the new label can do something Marvel Studios can’t, by letting filmmakers have creative freedom to do what they want:

“I said ‘Let JOKER be the first, then let’s get fucking great filmmakers to come in.’ Instead of trying to live in the shadow of the beast (MCU), let’s do something they can’t.” This included $30 million budgets, no CGI hoopla. “Let’s strip that all away. It’ll be liberating.”

The Joker director also talked about how the upcoming film was filmed in the streets of New York City, instead of green screen like most comic book films today:

“The energy you get from an actor is different on 179th Street and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx than if we did that with green screen, which, by the way, I don’t even know how to do shit like that. There’s not one green screen in this movie.”

Do you want to see Warner Bros. move forward with a DC Black division? What director would you like to see tackle a comic book movie? Comment below!

Here is the official synopsis for Joker:

“Joker” centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.

Opening in theaters on October 4, 2019, Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, Brett Cullen, Bryan Callen and Robert De Niro. Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for more updates on the project!

Source: Empire Magazine (via Twitter)

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden's affection for all things DC, Marvel, and Star Wars has led him to entertainment journalism at Heroic Hollywood as a News Editor.