What even is a Joker movie without a little controversy? “The People’s Joker” was all ready to premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival when it was pulled at the last minute, reportedly under the threat of legal action by DC Comics owner Warner Bros. Discovery. This was in spite of Drew and her collaborators going above and beyond to ensure that the parody film was exempted from copyright infringement under fair use legislation. (Not David Zaslav’s media conglomerate potentially bending the law to serve its own purposes?)
If previous Joker films have taught us anything, though, it’s that the clown revolution will always be televised. Sure enough, “The People’s Joker” has since made its debut to critical raves on the festival circuit and is now being distributed theatrically by Altered Innocence. Drew directs from a script she wrote with Bri LeRose, on top of editing and starring as Joker the Harlequin/Vera opposite a cast that includes Kane Distler as one “Mr. J,” Nathan Faustyn as The Penguin, David Liebe Hart as Ra’s al Ghul, Tim Heidecker as Perry White, Scott Aukerman as Mr. Freeze, and Phil Braun as an abusive fascist known as “Batsy.”
“The People’s Joker” will laugh it up in theaters starting April 5, 2024.
