There’s a video posted by Hollywood Pipeline of Joaquin Phoenix in full costume and make-up as the Joker; you can see it here and there’s some photos here.

I am all for saying “let’s wait and see” and I try not to go all raging internet fanboy but this . . .

. . . just looks like a little too close to this . . .

for my liking.

For the record, I have never liked the Adam West Batman series – if you think it’s wonderfully ironic and delightfully camp in retrospect, you are wrong: the entire bloody thing was dreadful.

Watch the video, though – the protesters are holding signs referencing “clown town” and “clown makes me frown” and “clown mayor” . . not a mention (that I could see) of the Joker.

Is he going to be known as the Clown in this film?! I’d say surely not but then I would have said that neither Superman nor Batman ever kill anyone, either . . .

Sooooooooooo . . . you remember all the internet howling and screaming when the first look at Heath Ledger’s Joker appeared all those years ago?

Here’s our first look at Joaquin Phoenix as “Arthur” in the now filming Joker movie, presumably set before his transition into the Clown Prince of Crime.

Now maybe their going for a particular vibe here, but I saw that and the first thing I thought was the background was wrong . . .

I reserve judgement on the film until I see it but . . .