Joaquin Phoenix to Star in DC's Origin Movie on The Joker

Joaquin Phoenix to star in as the Joker in upcoming Batman offshoot movie (Publicity photo).

BURBANK, Calif.  – Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Joaquin Phoenix will star in an origin story of one of DC’s most notorious Super-Villains, the Joker.

Under the direction of Todd Phillips, the film centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen.  Phillips’ exploration of a man disregarded by society is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.

Phillips will direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with writer Scott Silver (“The Fighter”).  The film will be produced by Emma Tillinger Koskoff and executive produced by Richard Baratta.  The film begins production later this year.

One of today’s most versatile actors, Phoenix has been honored with three Oscar nominations, for his work in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master,” James Mangold’s “Walk the Line,” in which he starred as Johnny Cash, and Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator.”  He won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017 for Lynne Ramsey’s “You Were Never Really Here,” and has also earned acclaim for his work in numerous films, including Spike Jonze’s “Her.”  His most recent film, Gus Van Sant’s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot,” premiered at Sundance this year.

The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

'The Death of Superman' Is Coming to DVD and Blu-ray

"The Death of Superman" animated feature film is coming to DVD and Blu-ray in August, according to DC Entertainment (Photo by DC Comics).

LOS ANGELES – The Man of Steel meets his ultimate match when Doomsday comes to Earth – hell bent on destroying everything and everyone in his path, including the Justice League – in the all-new, action-packed “The Death of Superman,” part of the popular series of DC Universe Movies. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, the feature-length animated film arrives from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital starting July 24, 2018, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD August 7, 2018. Order due date is July 3, 2018.

“The Death of Superman” will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack ($39.99 SRP), Blu-ray Deluxe Gift Set ($39.99 SRP), Blu-ray Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP) and DVD ($19.98 SRP), as well as on Digital ($19.99 HD, $14.99 SD). The Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack features an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc in 4K with HDR and a Blu-ray disc featuring the film; the Blu-ray Deluxe Gift Set includes a collectible Superman figurine; the Blu-ray Combo Pack features the film in hi-definition; and the DVD features the movie in standard definition. The Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Combo Pack include a digital version of the film.

“The Death of Superman” ultimately finds Superman in a fight to the finish when the Man of Steel becomes the only hero who can stand in the way of the monstrous creature Doomsday and his unstoppable rampage of destruction. As the inaugural film in the DC Universe Movies series, “Superman Doomsday” told an abridged version of “The Death of Superman,” DC Comics’ landmark 1992-93 comic phenomenon. But with a runtime of 75 minutes, the film focused on a core, singular storyline. The new, animated “The Death of Superman”, the first of a two-part film experience that will conclude with “Reign of the Supermen” in early 2019, restores many of the moments and characters that fans hold dear to their hearts.

The all-star cast is led by Jerry O’Connell (“Crossing Jordan,” “Stand By Me”), Rebecca Romijn (“X-Men,” “The Librarians”) and Rainn Wilson (“The Office”) as the voices of Superman, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, respectively. The potent trio is joined by the DC Universe Movies’ returning voices of the Justice League: Jason O’Mara (“The Man in the High Castle,” “Terra Nova”) as Batman, Rosario Dawson (“Sin City,” “Rent,” “Daredevil”) as Wonder Woman, Shemar Moore (“S.W.A.T.,” “Criminal Minds”) as Cyborg, Nathan Fillion (“Castle,” ABC’s upcoming “The Rookie”) as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, and Christopher Gorham (“Covert Affairs,” “Ugly Betty”) as The Flash.

Producer Sam Liu (“Gotham by Gaslight,” “Teen Titans: The Judas Contract”) co-directs “The Death of Superman” with Jake Castorena (“Justice League Action”) from a script by New York Times best-selling author Peter J. Tomasi (“Green Lantern: Emerald Knights”). Executive Producers are Sam Register and James Tucker (“Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay,” “Justice League Dark”).

“As Superman celebrates his 80th anniversary, we felt the time was right to finally tell the unabridged version of this iconic story,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Vice President, Family & Animation Marketing. “This is a landmark tale in comics history, and we wanted to bring the entire story – with all the characters and details the fans have clamored for – to animated life.”

DC Entertainment to Publish Comics Based on Popular Hanna-Barbera Characters

The Flintstones are among the popular Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters getting new comics published by DC Entertainment (Photo by Hanna-Barbera Productions).

LOS ANGELES - Pajamas and a big bowl of sugary cereal is how many of us remember watching our favorite Saturday morning cartoons as kids. Beginning in May, DC Entertainment plans to give old fans and new the chance to relive (and extend) their childhoods with a new, modern lineup of comics based on some of Hanna-Barbera’s most popular cartoon characters, but reimagined in a fresh and contemporary fashion.

The initial lineup includes: 
“Scooby Apocalypse” – Featuring character designs by veteran artist Jim Lee and an origin story by Jim Lee and Keith Giffen (“Justice League 3001”), artist Howard Porter (“Superman”) will provide his own unique take on Freddie, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo. “Those meddling kids” and their Mystery Machine are at the center of a well-meaning experiment gone wrong and they’ll need to bring all of their mystery-solving skills to bear (along with plenty of Scooby Snacks), to find a cure for a world full of mutated creatures infected by a nanite virus that enhances their fears, terrors and baser instincts. This time, the horrors are real in this apocalyptic near-future badland!

“Future Quest” – Writer Jeff Parker (“Aquaman,” “Justice League United,” “Batman ’66”) and artist Evan “Doc” Shaner (“Justice League Darkseid War: Green Lantern”) join forces to bring fans new tales of adventure’s most iconic teenager, Jonny Quest, along with his sidekick Hadji. This series combines Team Quest (Hadji, Race Bannon, Dr. Benton Quest and Jezebel Jade) with some of the most well-known action and adventure heroes ever created by Hanna-Barbera, including Space Ghost, The Herculoids, Birdman, Mightor and Frankenstein Jr., among others.

“Wacky Raceland” – Take The Ant Hill Mob, Penelope Pitstop and Dick Dastardly, mix in a healthy dose of “Mad Max” and you get this dark and gritty take on Hanna-Barbera’s “Wacky Races,” courtesy of writer Ken Pontac (“Reboot,” “Happy Tree Friends”) and artist Leonardo Manco (“Hellblazer”), with vehicle designs by Mark Sexton (“Mad Max: Fury Road”). A time of hope and innocence with Utopia at the finish line has given way to planetary Armageddon and a desert wasteland full of radioactive lakes, nanotech dust storms, and cannibalistic mutants. Against this backdrop, the Wacky Racers and their sentient vehicles continue their contest, but now the competition is for survival, and there can only be one winner when the checkered flag falls.

“The Flintstones” – Based on character designs by Amanda Conner (“Harley Quinn,” “Starfire”), writer Mark Russell (“Prez,” “God Is Disappointed In You”) provides his own unique perspective on everyone’s “modern stone age family.” Russell will use Bedrock’s most popular family to shine a light on humanity’s ancient customs and institutions in a funny origin story of human civilization. Fred is still the simple man, striving to be the king of his castle, Wilma is still the tolerant but not-indulging wife and Barney (with his wife Betty and infant son Bamm-Bamm) is still the original wingman, whose loyalty to Fred often outweighs his common sense.

“I can’t think of anyone that doesn’t look back at these characters with anything but fond memories,” said Dan DiDio, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher. “With this initial lineup of titles and talent, we’re excited for fans to experience the reimagining of these Saturday morning classics with a more modern and contemporary look and feel.”

For more information about Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics, visit the website at www.DCComics.com.