Martin Scorsese reveals why he didn't direct Joker. By now, it's no secret Todd Phillips' latest takes numerous cues from Scorsese's iconic filmography, particularly drawing inspiration from Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. In fact, for a while it looked like Scorsese was going to help produce Joker, but he ultimately did not receive credit on the final film. When Phillips came onboard, Scorsese walked away and moved on to other endeavors, like The Irishman.
That Scorsese flirted with a comic book adaptation is a bit amusing, considering his controversial comments about the Marvel Cinematic Universe that have dominated headlines over the past month. But anyone who's seen Joker knows it's a far cry from the typical "comic book movie." Rather than relying on blockbuster spectacle, Joker is a dark, disturbing psychological drama about a man's slow descent into insanity. It's unlike anything the genre's seen before, and it's easy to see why the material might have been appealing to Scorsese.
In an interview with BBC (hat tip IndieWire), Scorsese addressed why he passed on helming Joker. Apparently, his decision boiled down to scheduling and doubts if he was the right fit for the project:
“I know the film very well. I know [director Todd Phillips] very well. My producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff produced it. I thought about it a lot over the last four years and decided I did not have the time for it. It was personal reasons why I didn’t get involved. But I know the script very well. It has a real energy and Joaquin. You have remarkable work.
For me, ultimately, I don’t know if I make the next step into this character developing into a comic book character. You follow? He develops into an abstraction. It doesn’t mean it’s bad art, it’s just not for me…The superhero films, as I’ve said, are another art form. They are not easy to make. There’s a lot of very talented people doing good work and a lot of young people really, really enjoy them.”
It sounds like Scorsese seriously contemplated taking on Joker before passing. Phillips was hired as director in 2017, so Scorsese's decision must have been made before then. By that time, Scorsese was already deep into pre-production on The Irishman, finally forging ahead with a passion project that lingered in development hell for years. Scorsese's films always have a great deal of ambition behind them, but The Irishman was a tall task even by his standards, relying heavily on de-aging visual effects. The crime epic was a major commitment, and Scorsese obviously didn't want to delay it any further. Rather than direct something he had reservations about, he opted to hand it off to someone else and pursue another film.
Normally, missing out on working with Scorsese would be a big blow, but Warner Bros. is probably pleased with the way things turned out. Phillips' Joker won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, is garnering Oscar buzz, and set multiple box office records. It recently became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all-time and is on pace to hit the $1 billion mark. As for Scorsese, The Irishman is poised to be one of Netflix's biggest awards contenders this year, so it's safe to say this whole situation was a win-win for everyone involved.
Source: BBC (via IndieWire)
