The People's Joker

Lore & Background

The film follows a young child in Smallville, Kansas, who idolizes performers on a sketch comedy program, UCB Live. After asking if they were born in the wrong body, the child is prescribed Smylex by Dr. Crane, a drug forcing a happy face despite depression or gender dysphoria. Fifteen years later, the protagonist moves to Gotham City to join UCB Live, designated as a 'Jokeman' while women are nameless Harlequins. The protagonist befriends Oswald Cobblepot, and they form an 'anti-comedy' troupe at a carnival, joined by Jason 'Mr. J' Todd, a transgender man who helps the protagonist realize she is a transgender woman. She dives into a vat of estrogen to transition, takes the name Joker the Harlequin, and eventually hosts UCB Live after hacking a broadcast, learning that happiness cannot come from external validation.

Reader's Guide

The People's Joker is significant as a low-budget, crowdsourced parody that uses familiar Batman characters to tell a deeply personal coming-of-age story about gender identity and self-acceptance. Its production began in late 2019 when co-writer Bri LeRose encouraged Vera Drew to re-edit the film Joker, leading Drew to explore themes of gender, comedy, and family. The film faced legal pressure from an unnamed media conglomerate, resulting in canceled screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival and other venues, though it eventually screened at Outfest in 2023 and received a limited theatrical and home media release in 2024. Critics praised it as inventive and moving, with a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 78. It was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the 40th Independent Spirit Awards, and Drew won Breakthrough Director at the 34th Annual Gotham Awards.

Did You Know?

• The film was crowdsourced, with over 100 artists providing backdrops and character animation.
• The film's title card states 'Any copyright or trademark infringement was not done intentionally'.
• Vera Drew originally planned to re-edit every single Batman movie but later edited those scenes out.
• The film ends with a post-credits scene teasing 'The People's Nightmare: Freddy vs Joker'.