The People's Joker coming to theaters

[Mister Mets]

Vera Drew's film "The People's Joker" was supposed to play in 2022 at the the Toronto International Film Festival, but Warner Brothers pushed back for copyright reasons.

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/p...se-1235846062/

However, there are now plans for it to get a theatrical release in April.

“The People’s Joker,” a queer comic book parody that garnered headlines after getting axed from the Toronto Film Festival lineup, is heading to the big screen.

Los Angeles-based distributor Altered Innocence acquired the film, which will open in theaters on April 5.

Vera Drew directed “The People’s Joker,” which was slated to play in 2022 at TIFF. However, the filmmaker canceled the planned screenings after its Midnight Madness premiere, citing copyright issues with the material. Warner Bros. Discovery owns DC Comics and holds the rights to the Batman universe but has never commented publicly on “The People’s Joker.” A title card before the movie states, “This film is a parody and is at present time completely unauthorized by DC Comics, Warner Brothers or anyone claiming ownership of the trademarks therein (eg. ‘Joker,’ ‘Batman, etc.).”

Described as an “absurdist semi-autobiographical dark comedy,” “The People’s Joker” stars Drew as a painfully unfunny aspiring clown called Joker the Harlequin. Her character grapples with her gender identity while unsuccessfully attempting to join the ranks of Gotham City’s sole comedy program in a world where comedy has been outlawed. Uniting with a ragtag team of rejects and misfits, Joker the Harlequin forms an illegal anti-comedy troupe that puts her on a collision course with the devious caped crusader controlling the city.

The movie, which was partly financed by crowdfunding and shot entirely on a greenscreen, features cameos from Tim Heidecker, Bob Odenkirk, Maria Bamford (Netflix’s “Big Mouth”) and Scott Aukerman (“Between Two Ferns” with Zach Galifianakis).

“Vera Drew has taken her own life experiences and traumas to craft an entirely new genre of cinema that blurs the lines between documentary, coming-of-age film, and parody,” said Altered Innocence founder Frank Jaffe. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to champion this bold, intelligent and hilarious piece of queer cinema that audiences around the globe have fallen in love with.”

Drew, an editor on “Who Is America?” and Netflix’s “I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson,” also co-wrote “The People’s Joker.” She said she’s “thrilled and humbled” that Altered Innocence picked up her film.

The copyright implications are interesting. Is it appropriate to use licensed characters by saying something is a parody? Is there a potential Streisand effect if Warner Brothers pushes back?

Here, I'm reminded of Escape from Tomorrow, an indie film secretly shot in Disneyland. Disney ultimately decided not to pursue legal action, and the film had a box office about a quarter of its $650,000 budget. Ten years later, the director doesn't have a wikipedia entry. On the other hand, one of Todd Haynes' earliest projects was a retelling of the life and death of Karen Carpenter using Barbie dolls.

[Frobisher]

Joker strikes again!

[James Cameron]

I really wanna see this! Tim Heidecker as Perry White sounds awesome