Joaquin Phoenix's first look as Joker revealed

'Joker'

director, Todd Phillips, has released the first look of Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character.




Phillips captioned the Instagram image with just "

Arthur

", the iteration of the Joker's name before he took on his mononym.










The film is described as an "exploration of a man disregarded by society that is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale."

The origin story will be set in 1980s

Gotham City

, with the Wayne family represented by its patriarch, Thomas.

Scott Silver

co-wrote the script with Phillips.

The film is scheduled to hit theatres on October 4, 2019.