Now, a reliable source who has shared accurate details about a number of movies and TV shows in the past claims to have some intel from test screenings for the movie that finally reveal what we can expect from the Clown Prince of Crime's origin story.
There are major spoilers here, including some big twists and turns and even how things play out in the final act (those particular details come from a different source, but one that lines up with what we've heard from this reputable sounding leak). Needless to say, this could be controversial!
So, to check out these
Joker details, simply click on the "View List" button down below.
1981
It's said that
Joker takes place in Gotham City in 1981, and the iconic DC Comics location is at its lowest point with a crime wave and garbage strike leaving it dirtier and more dangerous than ever.
Arthur Fleck is just a nobody who works as a clown for a talent booking agency and he has a social worker keeping a close eye on him because he has some serious mental health issues. Those include an uncontrollable habit of laughing whenever he's nervous, something which doesn't help with his desire to become a stand-up comic.
He's also a caretaker for his mother, a former housekeeper for the Wayne family...
Thomas Wayne's Mission
As expected, Thomas Wayne is running to become the new Mayor of Gotham City, and he promises to clean up the city (both literally and figuratively). He's a good man but has been ignoring his former employee, as Fleck's mother has spent months trying to contact him to no avail.
She's as deranged as her son, though, so it's hardly a surprise that he's not reading her correspondence.
Arthur's Downfall
Fleck ends up losing his job and that appears to be the final nail in the coffin for his fractured psyche. After being mocked on the subway, he violently kills three Wall Street guys who are also harassing a young woman and these murders inspire a "Resist" movement against Gotham's wealthy elite.
With Thomas Wayne viewed as the "voice of the rich," the poor start turning on him. While this is happening, Arthur tries his hand at stand-up during an open mic night at a local comedy club. His set completely bombs, and footage of his performance ends up being sent to
Live With Murray Franklin. The TV show host, played by Robert De Niro, wastes no time in ridiculing poor Arthur.
The Big Reveal
The cops are investigating Arthur for his involvement in those murder,s but he's busy reading one of his deranged mother's letters to Thomas Wayne and stumbles across a pretty major revelation.
She claims that Arthur is the illegitimate son of Thomas Wayne and that makes Joker the half-brother of Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, a twist which has been rumoured ever since last year.
That's it from Splash Report but we've done some digging and found several other leaks online which line up with this one. However, major spoilers (including how Joker ends) now follow...
...Or Not!
Arthur later learns that while his mother was obsessed with Thomas, they never actually slept together and he's not his son after all. However, she was aware that her boyfriend (and presumably his real father) was sexually abusing Arthur when he was a young child, so he heads to Arkham Asylum and kills her.
At this point, he's invited on to
Live With Murray Franklin but fully embraces his new persona as The Joker while all of this is happening, and he murders several people who have wronged him.
Zazie Beetz's character isn't among them, despite the fact that his feelings for her were extremely one-sided and past leaks have claimed that he kills her after being rejected earlier in the movie.
Bang
The Joker appears on that talk show but shoots Franklin in the head on air and proceeds to deliver a speech that riles up Gotham City's citizens and encourages them to rise up against the wealthy.
A riot breaks out, and it's during this that Thomas and Martha Wayne end up being gunned down (thereby providing a very different twist on the Clown Prince of Crime's origin story). The police chase Arthur down and finally catch and arrest him after he's hit by a passing taxi. The movie then ends with him in Arkham Asylum, and he's so out of his mind by this point, he dances around his cell.
Apparently, that's a recurring theme in the movie and while this scene is set to Frank Sinatra's "That's Life," the sequence of him dancing down those steps is to Elton John's "Benny And The Jets."
Not That Much Joker
Other details revealed include the fact that
Jokeris a hard R and only features Fleck in costume for around the last 30 minutes.
