JOKER
AN ORIGIN
Written by
Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
13 April 2018
This story takes place in its own universe. It has no
connection to any of the DC films that have come before it.
We see it as a classic Warner Bros. movie. Gritty, intimate
and oddly funny, the characters live in the real world and
the stakes are personal.
Although it is never mentioned in the film, this story takes
place in the past.
Let's call it 1981.
It's a troubled time. The crime rate in Gotham is at record
highs. A garbage strike has crippled the city for the past
six weeks. And the divide between the "haves" and the "have-
nots" is palpable. Dreams are beyond reach, slipping into
delusions.
OVER BLACK:
HEAR LAUGHTER.
The sound of a man totally cracking up.
FADE IN:
1 INT. DEPT. OF HEALTH, OFFICE - MORNING 1
CLOSE ON JOKER (30's), tears in his eyes from laughing so
hard. He's trying to get it under control. His greasy, black
hair is matted down. He's wearing an old, faded red hooded
zip-up sweatshirt, a threadbare gray scarf, thin from years
of use, hangs loosely around his neck.
WE NOTICE TWO FADED OLD SCARS cut at the corners of his
mouth. Almost forming a smile.
He's sitting across from an overworked SOCIAL WORKER (50's),
African American. Her office is cramped and run-down in a
cramped and run-down building. Stacks of folders piled high
in front of her.
She just sits behind her desk, waiting for his laughing fit
to end, she's been through this before. Finally it subsides.
Joker takes a deep breath, pauses to see if it's over.
Beat.
JOKER
--is it just me, or is it getting
crazier out there?
Despite the laughter, there's real pain in his eyes.
Something broken in him. Looks like he hasn't slept in days.
SOCIAL WORKER
It's certainly tense. People are
upset, they're struggling. Looking
for work. The garbage strike seems
like it's been going on forever.
These are tough times.
(then)
How 'bout you. How's the job? Still
