By Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Production crew members and set set designers were busy making the last adjustments Friday to transform Newark's Market St. into 1980's Gotham (New York) for the filming of "Romeo," the new Joker movie.

The film, which is related to the Batman DC Comics superhero series, is directed by Todd Phillips, who directed The Hangover. Three-time Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix stars as the Joker while other cast members include Robert DeNiro, Zazie Beetz, Marc Maron and Frances Conroy.

Market Street was chosen because of its location and the ease with which some of the store fronts could be converted to look like Gotham from the 1980's. Also, a set designer mentioned that the price for filming in New Jersey is cheaper than Manhattan, especially with tax incentives Gov. Murphy brought back.

Work on dressing the area for the filming on September 24 and filming beings Saturday morning through Sunday. Then, filming will move to Monday and Tuesday evenings, when Market Street and other roads in the area will be closed.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A pair of Newark Police officers stand outside a Market Street Police substation that has been converted into an electronics store for filming. Just the front of the substation was changed and officers were still working out of it on Friday.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A furniture store is converted into a music store along Market Street.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A man walks past set designers installing a phone booth at the corner of Broad and Market Streets.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A postal worker pauses during his rounds to take a selfie with a phone booth at the corner of Broad and Market streets. Behind him is an adult theater marquee built for the movie.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A painter puts finishing touches on a fake marquee of a porn theater on Market Street. The marquee was built specifically for the movie.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A group of women look how Market Street got transformed while underneath the Paramount Theater, repurposed as a 1980s porn theater.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A set designer has a member of the production crew install a trash can near the corner of Broad and Market streets.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A Gotham Gazette newspaper vending machine stands on Market Street Friday.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A woman walks by a store front that has been covered with a wrap to make it look like metal and painted with graffiti.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Buildings are covered and painted on with graffiti to make it look like 1980's Gotham.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A set designer paints a prop box . Numerous trash bags filled with paper lined the street for the movie because it is filmed during a trash collection strike in Gotham.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The outside of the 7-Eleven store was converted into a luncheonette diner with fake graffiti painted outside. The store was still open Friday afternoon but the outside was changed for the filming to make it look like 1980's Gotham.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A member of the production crew works to transform Newark's Market Street into 1980's Gotham while organizing prop trash bags filled of paper. In the film, Gotham is going through a trash collection strike.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A sign outside advertising for a fictional adult theater along Market Street.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A man walks by the converted window of a clothing store made to look like 1980's Gotham.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A man walks past a store front along Market St. with a fake security grate and door while painted with graffiti as part of the set.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A man takes a selfie while walking along Newark's Market Street as the crew works to make the area look like 1980's Gotham for the filming of "Romeo," the new Joker movie.