Todd Phillips Wasn’t Worried About Joker Movie Causing Violence
Prior to the release of the long-awaited Joker, there were several concerns that surrounded the portrayal of violence in the film. There was an implicit belief that the film may or may not influence viewers to engage in violent actions. Amongst those who were critical, some of them were families of the Aurora theater shooting victims. The gruesome event took place during an airing of The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. However, since Joker’s release has long since passed, and no violent crimes have been committed in relation to the film.
Todd Phillips Unconcerned About Violence In Joker
Now that the concerns can be publicly addressed, Todd Phillips recently opened up about the violent influence the film may or may not have had. He admitted that he wasn’t worried that the film may inspire violent tendencies. Phillips went so far as to make it explicitly clear about the controversy, calling it a “bulls***t thing” and blamed the media for riling up controversy.
Interview With Todd Phillips
On his appearance at The Hollywood Reporter’s Director Roundtable, Phillips answered “No, because I just didn’t subscribe to that bulls***t thing, quite frankly, that was happening in the media, where they just pick a movie every so often and declare it means something it doesn’t,” Phillips pointed out. “We had think pieces being written where people proudly wrote, ‘I haven’t seen the movie. I don’t need to see the movie.'”
Phillips Feared Cancellation Of Film
Todd Phillips remained quite confident that his film would receive a positive response, however, he also admitted that he feared Warner Bros might cancel the film altogether due to the controversy. On Rumble With Michael Moore, Phillips made an appearance and spoke about Joker’s situation. “I thought we might have been over on Joker, just where the narrative on Joker started heading in the media,” Phillips said. “I started thinking ‘Jesus, is this going to be one of those things where Warners — because it’s owned by AT&T and WarnerMedia, it’s a much bigger thing than Joker will ever be — do they just go ‘This isn’t worth the headache?’ There was a minute there.”
