Vault Dweller
Correctly predicted Italy to win Euro 2020
I agree that it's not the classic Joker take, and the one you describe is the version I know (and admittedly love in a weird way) from the countless novels, comics, movies I have collected or read. But reading what Todd Phillips has said about the movie makes me believe they are taking a totally different spin. He has said he wants to create a series of films where the DC characters selected aren't taken in the classical view, but to be a character study and to look at different circumstances or personalities that lead them to becoming who we know them to be.Doesn't seem like a Joker film/comic story/whatever because the Joker:
a) always embraced madness (the "push") via an accident (usually acid) or injury that left him scarred and-or deformed. His previous odd backstory (mean gangster, or failed comedian, or horrible childhood, etc.) is just the previous step to the "push", that signals the point of no return for him.
b) his high IQ was always oriented to violent organized crime, bizarre plans, tons of guns, etc.
c) hates humanity. The Joker only tolerates few henchmen because they are useful, but won't hesitate to kill them and replace them ad nauseam. The Joker is not about inspiring society to embrace anarchism or chaos. It's about killing the society with chaos.
This trailer only explains to me that a seriously depressed failed comedian is going insane and will eventually trigger a riot by influencing similarly depressed guys. Also blatant ripoff of V of Vendetta with the Clown Mask.
Don't mean to sound like a Joker's pseudo-expert or a dick. Just trying to express how odd/different this trailer looks to what I've been reading/seeing about the Joker for years.
I love Joker as Heath showed him in Dark Knight, and how Mark Hamill has portrayed him in the animated series and in the Arkham games. But I'm seriously excited to see what Phoenix can do with him as I think he is a magnificent actor. And Joker is one of my favourite characters of all time, so I am curious as Hell to see what direction they take in this.
PS - I know what you mean about the V for Vendetta/Clown mask bit, but I must admit I thought it was cool in the trailer