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'Joker' not a hero, says studio, as Aurora families voice concern

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/entertainment/09/25/joker.jpg"/></figure></div>LOS ANGELES - Warner Bros. on Tuesday denied its controversial film &quot;Joker&quot; portrays its murderous outcast villain as a hero, after families hit by the Aurora theater mass shooting penned an open letter expressing concern.The much-hyped new Joaquin Phoenix film, billed as a &quot;character study&quot; of Batman&#x27;s nemesis, has been hailed as an Oscar contender, but has raised concerns that its depiction of mental illness and violence could prove incendiary.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UAjIMjyGwv8?enablejsapi=1"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>Its release next month comes seven years after a man opened fire in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado showing a late-night premiere of a Batman film, killing 12 and wounding 70.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/07/21/12/batman-director-laments-savage-theater-massacre">Batman director laments &#x27;savage&#x27; theater massacre</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/global-filipino/07/21/12/pinoy-shot-dark-knight-us-screening">Pinoy shot in &#x27;Dark Knight&#x27; US screening</a></li></ul>Families and friends of victims wrote an open letter in Hollywood trade publications Tuesday.&quot;When we learned that Warner Bros. was releasing a movie called &#x27;Joker&#x27; that presents the character as a protagonist with a sympathetic origin story, it gave us pause,&quot; they wrote.The film depicts the Joker as a severely depressed young man trying to build a career as a stand-up comic, but who is constantly rejected and beaten by society until taking matters into his own -- extremely violent -- hands.In their letter, the Aurora families and friends noted that their real-life tragedy had been &quot;perpetrated by a socially isolated individual who felt &#x27;wronged&#x27; by society.&quot;While the open letter did not condemn the film, and expressed support for &quot;free speech and free expression,&quot; it urged the Hollywood studio to use its platform to lobby for gun reform and support victims.In response, Warner said &quot;neither the fictional character Joker, nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind.&quot;It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.&quot;Warner described gun violence as a &quot;critical issue&quot; and said it had donated to victims and supported gun control legislation.The US gun control debate reignited last month after the massacres of 22 people at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, nine by a gunman in Dayton, Ohio, and a further seven in a shooting rampage in Odessa, Texas.Most presidential candidates, including Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, are calling for a new assault weapons ban.Candidate Beto O&#x27;Rourke has gone further, calling for a mandatory buyback program for assault weapons.The Aurora shooting was carried out during a packed screening of &quot;The Dark Knight Rises,&quot; in a meticulously-planned attack during which James Holmes wore body armor and used tear gas to prevent victims from escaping.Authorities said at the time that Holmes claimed he was &quot;The Joker,&quot; Batman&#x27;s sworn enemy in the comic book series that inspired director Christopher Nolan&#x27;s film trilogy.Holmes is serving life in prison.amz/ft© Agence France-Presse

LOS ANGELES - Warner Bros. on Tuesday denied its controversial film "Joker" portrays its murderous outcast villain as a hero, after families hit by the Aurora theater mass shooting penned an open letter expressing concern.

LOS ANGELES - Warner Bros. on Tuesday denied its controversial film "Joker" portrays its murderous outcast villain as a hero, after families hit by the Aurora theater mass shooting penned an open letter expressing concern.