The People’s Joker Movie Details:
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Release Dates | September 13, 2022 (TIFF) April 5, 2024 (United States) |
| Running Time | 1hr 32min |
| Cast | Vera Drew Lynn Downey Griffin Kramer Kane Distler Nathan Faustyn Phil Braun |
| Directed by | Vera Drew |
| Written by | Bri LeRose Vera Drew |
| Produced by | Joey Lyons |
| Cinematography by | Nate Cornett |
| Edited by | Vera Drew |
| Music by | Justin Krol Quinn Scharber Danni Rowan Elias and the Error |
| Production Company | Haunted Gay Ride Productions |
| Distributor | Altered Innocence |
The People’s Joker Movie Cast & Characters:
- Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin/Vera,
- Griffin Kramer as a young, pre-transition Vera
- Lynn Downey as Vera’s mother
- Kane Distler as Mr. J, an emotionally manipulative trans man
- Nathan Faustyn as The Penguin
- David Liebe Hart as Ra’s al Ghul
- Phil Braun as Batman
- Maria Bamford as Lorne Michaels
- Christian Calloway as Dr. Jonathan Crane
- Trevor Drinkwater as The Riddler
- Ruin Carroll as Poison Ivy
- Tim Heidecker as Perry White
- Scott Aukerman as Mr. Freeze
- Bob Odenkirk as Bob the Goon
- Arden Hughes as the UCB Computer
Storyline:
An aspiring clown grappling with her gender identity combats a fascistic caped crusader.
About The People’s Joker Movie:
The People’s Joker is an American comedy film directed by Vera Drew, who also wrote the film Bri LeRose. The film stars Vera Drew, Lynn Downey, Griffin Kramer, Kane Distler, Nathan Faustyn, Phil Braun, and David Liebe Hart.
According to Drew, “a media conglomerate” sent her “an angry letter (misreported as a ‘cease and desist’) pressuring to not screen” shortly before the premiere. Some media outlets assumed this to be Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company to DC Comics, but neither Drew nor Warner Bros. have confirmed this.
On September 14, 2022, a day after the film had premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, subsequent screenings of the film were canceled. The website for TIFF stated, “The filmmaker has withdrawn this film due to rights issues”. The film has attempted to receive copyright exemption under fair use for being a parody, and a title card displayed before the film began stated “Any copyright or trademark infringement was not done intentionally”, among other things In a statement to Variety, Drew said: “We’re looking for buyers and distribution partners who will protect us and make this film accessible to trans people and their families everywhere”.
On September 21, Drew also pulled the film from other film festivals where it had been slated to screen, although it was unclear whether this was motivated by another copyright infringement threat or simply to help the film gain a distribution deal.
The first American showing occurred for the 2023 Outfest film festival in Los Angeles on July 15, 2023.
The People’s Joker was released theatrically in the United States on April 5, 2024.
