1981

 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.