Joker: Marc Maron Praises Todd Phillips’ ‘Interesting Approach’ to the Film

In an avalanche of superhero movies and projects based on comic books, Todd Phillips’ Joker is looking to set itself apart from the herd, telling a smaller story centered on an iconic villain, years before he’s synonymous with the terror and destruction of Gotham City.

In an interview with NME, co-star Marc Maron explained that while he’s wary of comic book movies in general, he was swayed by how Phillips wanted to portray this particular corner of the DCEU. Also, the cast he’d assembled helped out with his decision.

“I think it’s a very interesting approach to this world,” Maron explained. “I’ve been somewhat judgemental when it comes to comic book movies and I’ve got a little pushback in the press for being a hypocrite. Whatever I think, if you get a call and someone says, ‘Hey do you wanna do a scene with Robert De Niro and Joaquin Phoenix?’ your principals fall to the wayside.“

The GLOW star also clarified that, despite being about Batman’s all-time greatest nemesis, the film will be something of an origin story for the Clown Prince of Crime.

“The approach that Todd Phillips has taken is more of an origin story and a character study of a mentally ill person that becomes The Joker. It’s more of an intimate and gritty movie with a very specific scope. It’s going to be really interesting to see how it comes out.“

RELATED: Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker Has Wrapped Production

Phoenix’s casting as Arthur Fleck/the Joker surprised many and signaled that this project would be a departure from other entries to the DCEU. It is looking to be a more grounded, character-driven film in comparison to its effects-heavy counterparts like Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice or Justice League.

Phillips is best known for directing The Hangover trilogy starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis. Scott Silver, his co-writer for the film, penned The Fighter starring Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg as well as 8 Mile, the semi-autobiographical film about and starring Eminem.

Phoenix will be joined by Zazie Beetz (Atlanta, Deadpool 2), Marc Maron (GLOW, Maron) and Shea Whigham (First Man, Kong: Skull Island) and, of course, Robert De Niro in a small role.

At this time, it is unclear if the comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s King of Comedy will be well-founded or not. With the film set for an October release, it is likely that a trailer will drop soon.