Joaquin Phoenix looks pretty disturbing as Joker and Arthur Fleck in our latest look at the upcoming movie. Some DC fans have been a bit skeptical about Todd Phillips' upcoming take on the Clown Prince of Crime because he is taking the character in a new direction. Phoenix has said from the start that the movie was not going to be a normal superhero movie and from everything we've seen, he was not kidding around. This is going to be a lot more about the human element of the villain and has been described as a "cautionary tale."

The latest image of Joaquin Phoenix in Joker is actually two photos making up the character's face. It's from the cover of Empire Magazine and one side shows Arthur Fleck, while the other, much larger side, shows the villain taking over. It's a truly haunting image and it fits in perfectly with the recently released trailer and the rest of the promotional material we have seen so far. Phoenix and Todd Phillips have done something completely new with the iconic villain.

Todd Phillips has already suggested DC fans hoping for a comic book-accurate storyline "skip" Joker. There have been more than a few fans who are not entirely happy to see the standalone movie without its comic roots, while others are looking forward to seeing something new and original. Keeping that in mind, the movie will reportedly premiere at the Venice Film Festival for possible awards season inclusion. With Joaquin Phoenix on board, the movie will certainly make a big splash at the festival, which could spill into Academy Award nominations at the same time.

Joaquin Phoenix was initially coy when asked about his participation in Joker. It was rumored for months that he was in talks with the studio, but it took a while for the official confirmation to be announced. With that being said, one has to wonder how the pitch meeting went between Todd Phillips and Warner Bros., which more than likely went through further changes when Phoenix came on board. Since the beginning, Phoenix has called Joker a gritty character study instead of some massive budget Hollywood production.

Joker did not cost much to get made, which was probably a huge bright spot for Warner Bros. when agreeing to do the movie. The project hits theaters on October 4th, and inn addition to Joaquin Phoenix, the movie also stars Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, Marc Maron, Frances Conroy, and Brett Cullen. There have already been huge comparisons to Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy and Taxi Driver, which were more than teased in the first trailer for the upcoming movie. While we wait for some more footage to drop, you can check out the new image from Joker below, thank to Empire Magazine. The cover is for subscribers only.