“The People’s Joker,” an unauthorized reimagining of Batman’s universe through the eyes of a transgender woman, has been pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival after a single screening over rights issues.
TIFF says on its website that the filmmaker pulled the Gotham City-set independent movie over the concerns, and the customer relations team will get in touch with ticketholders.
Neither representatives for “The People’s Joker” nor Warner Bros. Discovery, which holds the film rights to the DC Comics universe, immediately responded to a request for comment this morning.
“The People’s Joker” is directed by Vera Drew who also stars as an aspiring comedian who moves to Gotham to pursue a career among a community of other characters from the DC Comics universe, including the Riddler and the Penguin.
The film premiered as part of TIFF’s Midnight Madness programming overnight, and by morning, the announcement was posted on the festival’s website.
The film was originally billed as containing scenes from DC movies, including 2019’s “Joker,” but Drew told the audience at a Q-and-A after the screening that she edited all that out ahead of the premiere.