There was quite a bit of ire from comic book fans when director Martin Scorsese criticized Marvel Studios films. He said that he doesn’t consider them to be cinema. That’s why it’s a bit interesting to hear that he could have directed Joker. Back in 2017, Warner Bros. lined up Scorsese to produce the Joker film. Via The Hollywood Reporter, a source close to Scorsese revealed that he was originally looking to helm the movie.
However, a representative for Scorsese countered the report and said that his role was always intended to be a producer. To further solidify this, they explained that Todd Phillips was the one who initially pitched the Joker film back in 2016.
Scorsese eventually dropped out in favor of working on Netflix’s The Irishman instead. But he left the film with his producing partner Emma Tillinger Koskoff.
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Phillips does go for a vibe akin to Scorsese’s Taxi Driver with the film. Robert DeNiro also portrayed talk show host Murray Franklin, a character that paid tribute to his role from Scorsese’s The King of Comedy.
Joker has already become a smash hit, with over $96 million at the weekend box office. It will likely remain in the top spot in the next weekend.
How do you think Joker would have fared as a Martin Scorsese film? Let us know in the comments below!
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