The People’s Joker: First trailer drops for ‘forbidden’ trans film parodying Batman villain
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The first trailer for The People’s Joker, a radical independent film parodying the Batman villain The Joker, has finally been released.
The movie, directed by American filmmaker Vera Drew, was first screened at the Toronto Film Festival back in 2022, but was subsequently buried as a result of copyright issues.
After the initial festival premiere, Drew said that she received a cease and desist letter from a “media conglomerate”, the identity of which she did not disclose.
Subsequent planned festival screenings of The People’s Joker were cancelled, although the film has now finally been given a US release date, with copyright exemption being argued for under the notion of fair use for being a parody.
In the film, Drew herself plays the Harlequin/Vera, a trans woman who attempts to make it as a stand-up comedian. The supporting cast includes Scott Aukerman, Tim Heidecker, Maria Bamford, and Bob Odenkirk.
The comic film parodies the character of The Joker, Batman’s nemesis who has previously featured in films such as 2008’s The Dark Knight and 2016’s Suicide Squad.
In 2020, Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor award at the Oscars for playing as the Joker in a dramatic film Joker. He is set to reprise the role in a forthcoming sequel, titled Joker: Folie à Deux, opposite Lady Gaga.
The People’s Joker has been received positively by critics, and currently merits a unanimous positive rating of 100 per cent “Fresh” on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
The synopsis on the film’s official website reads: “This revolutionary DIY parody film and hilarious reimagining of the classic autobiographical coming-of-age story follows an unconfident, closeted trans girl as she moves to Gotham City to make it big as a comedian by joining the cast of UCB Live - a government-sanctioned late night sketch show in a world where comedy has been outlawed.
“As mainstream success eludes our heroine, leading her to unite with a ragtag team of rejects, misfits, and a certain love interest named Mister J, ‘Joker the Harlequin’ is born again as a confident (and psychotic) joker on a collision course with the city’s fascist caped crusader.
“Vats of feminising chemicals, sexy cartoon interludes, scarecrow psychiatrists, CGI Lorne Michaels, and psychedelic gender dysphoria all play supporting roles.”
A UK distributor and release date is yet to be announced.
