Saturday, July 25, 2026

Joaquin Phoenix’s “Joker” Is Oscar Material, References Martin Scorsese’s “King of Comedy” with Robert De Niro Character

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We’re about to have a big season of Robert De Niro. He seems to play a talk show host in Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” referencing his Rupert Pupkin character from Scorsese’s “The King of Comedy.” This should be interesting. In the trailer just released, “Murray Franklin” just seems like an older Pupkin.

But Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is clearly obsessed with Murray, as we can see. And Phoenix looks like a potential Best Actor nominee in a movie that break new ground and also be a Best Picture nominee. Wow. If “Joker” is as good as this clip, it’s going to be a wild awards season. I don’t like to hype comic book movies, but this could set a new standard.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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