Joker trailer: Joaquin Phoenix slowly veers towards madness in this origin story of the Clown Prince of Crime

Warner Bros released the first official teaser trailer of Joker and Joaquin Phoenix shows us yet again why many consider him to be the greatest actor of our generation.

Put on a happy face. #JokerMovie - in theaters October 4. pic.twitter.com/TxF3Jqxjjr

— Joker Movie (@jokermovie) April 3, 2019

The chilling teaser, which released on Wednesday, shows a pre-Joker Arthur Fleck, working as a clown on the street and possibly attempting to date. “My mother always tells me to smile and put on a happy face. She told me I had a purpose, to bring laughter and joy to the world,” he can be heard saying in voiceover as he helps his mother (Frances Conroy) take a bath. But after being bullied and attacked in an alley, something changes inside of him and triggers his descent into madness. “I used to think my life was a tragedy. But now I realise, it’s a comedy,” the Clown Prince of Crime reveals in the end. In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, we also see the Joker “putting a happy face” on a young Bruce Wayne. The trailer had debuted during Warner Bros’ marathon presentation of its upcoming slate of films including It: Chapter Two and The Goldfinch to an audience of movie theater owners at CinemaCon on Tuesday. Director Todd Phillips was on hand to introduce the first teaser trailer. He had also shared the first poster of the film ahead of the trailer’s release. Joker also stars Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz and Marc Maron. It’s scheduled to release in theatres on 4 October. Watch the trailer here.