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Joker Director Todd Phillips Says It’s Impossible To 'Beat Marvel'


Joker might be getting a whole lot of buzz with its big win at this year's Venice Film Festival, but even with all the praise that's been going around for the upcoming DC movie, director Todd Phillips thinks that Marvel just can't be beaten.

Speaking in an interview with ComicBook.com, Phillips discussed the reason why he decided to create a movie disconnected from the DC Extended Universe. Sure, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Aquaman might have been major commercial successes for DC, but unlike Marvel, DC's had a bit of trouble getting its comic book movie universe off the ground.

"You can't beat Marvel — it's a giant behemoth," Phillips told the publication, "Let's do something they can't do."

That is true. It's hard to beat Marvel at its own game. DC's better off creating films that don't necessarily connect with each other. DC did pretty great with Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. Now it looks like the franchise is on fire with Joker, a new movie right outside of DCEU.

Of course, there are a lot of reasons why Joker is looking to be a major success for DC. Not only is the film less of a comic book movie and more of a gritty character study, but it also explores darker themes, something which Marvel doesn't do. Plus, it's got Academy Award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix to play Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime. There's a lot going for Joker.

Joker is set to premiere on October 4, 2019.

Read: Marvel's Avengers is Getting an Iron Man Prequel Comic This December

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