We live in a society… where The People’s Joker is finally being released in theaters.
It was announced today that Altered Innocence has acquired the rights to Vera Drew’s film, which follows Joker the Harlequin, a trans woman (played by Drew) trying to make it as a comedian in Gotham City. It premiered to rave reviews at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival but later screenings were pulled after Drew received “an angry letter” from “a media conglomerate” (Warner Bros. Discovery owns DC, the universe where Batman is set).
“This movie started as a DIY community project for queer artists and I made it with my friends to process what it was like coming out as a trans woman working in the film and TV industry,” Drew, who makes clear that The People’s Joker qualifies as parody, said in a statement. “It has been a long road freeing The People’s Joker and finding a release plan that rings true to the queer, anarchist spirit we had while making it. What better home than among Altered Innocence’s catalog of gorgeously gay and deliciously edgy films.”
The People’s Joker is described as an “absurdist autobiographically-inspired dark comedy” about “a painfully unfunny aspiring clown (Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin) 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 People’s Joker will open at New York City’s IFC Center on April 5, 2024 (that makes two Joker movies coming out next year). More dates will be announced in the future. You can find out more information here.
