This is the new JOKER...
Director of the upcoming Joker film Todd Phillips has posted another shot of Joaquin Phoenix in makeup on Instagram, though this time he is decidedly in a full clown costume.
The Instagram post is simply paired with the caption “Work” suggesting that this is Phoenix playing Arthur Fleck, the Joker prior to making his full transition into the Clown Prince of Crime. It appears that this version of the Joker worked as a literal clown, perhaps providing entertainment to audiences before being completely "disregarded by society."
What maybe is the most interesting is that Phillips chose to show this image instead of the now famous image of Phoenix behind the scenes on the subway.