Todd Phillips' Joker has not hit the theaters yet but it has received its fair share of publicity already. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and received huge praise there as well as a standing ovation. Nevertheless, it seems that the film is being warned against for its violent content and dark themes.
Recently the US Military had issued warnings to theaters and people stating that they expect mass shooters to be there at the film screenings. Now Robert De Niro has also weighed in and expressed his opinion surrounding the controversies on Joker. Appearing at the New York Film Festival to promote The Irishman, Robert De Niro said to Variety, "I like Todd Phillips and Joaquin. They were terrific to work with and, you know, I'm a small part of it and the association of me with Taxi Driver and King of Comedy is part of it, though it's different, you'll see when one sees the movie. We'll see what happens. I know there's controversy."
That's not all. Some of the people worried about the release of Joker are the families of the Aurora theater shooting victim's families. The shooting took place in a theater in 2012 where The Dark Knight Rises was being screened. As a result of which the Aurora theater has downright rejected to screen Joker. The victims' families reached out to Warner Bros. to donate to shooting victims' charities and condone violence.
Even though Warner Bros did not commit to anything, they released a statement condemning violence. The statement read, "Gun violence in our society is a critical issue, and we extend our deepest sympathy to all victims and families impacted by these tragedies," reads the statement.
"Our company has a long history of donating to victims of violence, including Aurora, and in recent weeks, our parent company joined other business leaders to call on policymakers to enact bi-partisan legislation to address this epidemic. At the same time, Warner Bros. believes that one of the functions of storytelling is to provoke difficult conversations around complex issues. Make no mistake: neither the fictional character Joker nor the film is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind. It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero."
Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, will release in India on October 4.
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