Joker writer and director Todd Phillips has said that his version of the clown prince of crime does not follow any established elements from the DC comics , and that Joaquin Phoenix’s character is a unique, original interpretation.

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The Many Origin Stories of the Joker 22 IMAGES

Joker Inspiration

Talking to Empire magazine , Phillips said “We didn’t follow anything from the comic-books, which people are gonna be mad about. We just wrote our own version of where a guy like Joker might come from. That’s what was interesting to me. We’re not even doing Joker, but the story of becoming Joker. It’s about this man.”It was clear from the first trailer for Joker that this was going to be a very different kind of super villain film, with its Scorsese vibe and heavy political tones. But Phillip’s words mean you can discount any story threads from The Killing Joke finding its way into this R-rated film.The same issue of Empire magazine features covers showing new images of Phoenix’s Joker makeup , which shows a very different approach to the white face and green hair combo.For more on Joker, check out how the upcoming clown prince of crime movie takes inspiration from The King of Comedy , and how it looks like the Joker will be more like Batman in this version

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter