Warner Bros. won’t allow reporters on the red carpet to pepper stars with questions at the U.S. premiere of Joker, according to a new report.
Variety reported Friday that Warner Bros. has disinvited print and broadcast journalists from the event, allowing only photographers on the red carpet.
“Our red carpet is comprised of photographers only,” a studio spokesperson told Variety. “A lot has been said about Joker, and we just feel it’s time for people to see the film.”
The decision comes amid mounting antagonism between media outlets and the movie’s talent as well as security concerns surrounding the Oct. 4 release.
Actor Joaquin Phoenix temporarily walked out of an interview with Britain’s The Telegraph when asked if the movie could “perversely end up inspiring exactly the kind of people it’s about, with potentially tragic results.”
Director Todd Phillips recently slammed far-left commentators who have targeted the movie.
“I think it’s because outrage is a commodity, I think it’s something that has been a commodity for a while,” he told The Wrap. “What’s outstanding to me in this discourse in this movie is how easily the far left can sound like the far right when it suits their agenda. It’s really been eye-opening for me.”
Security concerns have overshadowed the movie’s promotional push, with the Los Angeles Police Department announcing this week that officers will have “high visibility” at cinemas during screenings of Joker. The LAPD said that it hadn’t received any credible threats.
The U.S. Army recently issued a memo to commanders in Fort Sill, Okla., about a possible threat made online linked to Joker, but also said no credible threats have been made.
Joker received a rapturous welcome at its world premiere in August at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the top prize. The movie is an origin story of the DC Comics super villain, told in a gritty style reminiscent of 70s Hollywood films.
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