Warner Bros. has disinvited interview press from the red carpet of their Hollywood premiere of their upcoming film Joker.
A spokesperson on behalf of Warner Bros. sent the following statement to Variety in regards to the decision of restricting red carpet access to photographers:
“Our red carpet is comprised of photographers only. A lot has been said about Joker, and we just feel it’s time for people to see the film.”
This announcement from Warner Bros. comes amidst concerns arising from numerous parties regarding the content of the film, including fears that Joker potentially inciting/inspiring real-life acts of violence. Earlier this week, victims of the 2012 theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado voiced their concerns about the upcoming film in an open letter to Warner Bros. Pictures.
Following the release of that open letter, Warner Bros. sent out a press release defending the new film and explicitly stating that the film is not meant to endorse real-life violence of any kind and that the film’s titular character is not meant to be held up as a hero to be inspired by. Both the film’s director Todd Phillips and lead star Joaquin Phoenix have also defended the film amidst the criticisms.
Here is the official synopsis for Warner Bros. Pictures’ Joker:
Director Todd Phillips “Joker” centers 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.
Directed by Todd Phillips from a script he co-wrote with Scott Silver, Warner Bros. Pictures’ Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais, Shea Whigham and Robert De Niro.
Joker will be released in theaters on October 4, 2019.
Source: Variety
