TIFF says on its website that the director pulled the Gotham City indie film because of the concerns, and its customer relations team will be contacting ticket holders. Neither representatives of The People’s Joker nor Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns the film rights to the DC Comics universe, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning. The People’s Joker is directed by Vera Drew, who also stars as an aspiring comedian who moves to Gotham to pursue a career among a community of other characters from the DC Comics universe, including the Riddler and the Penguin. The film premiered as part of TIFF’s Midnight Madness program overnight, and by morning, the announcement was posted on the festival’s website. The film was originally billed as featuring scenes from DC films, including 2019’s Joker, but Drew told the audience in a post-screening Q&A that she edited out those scenes before the premiere. Instead, the crowdfunded film featured work from more than 100 artists, TIFF said. Many scenes are partially or fully animated. I have no idea how it’s going today and my team wants me to keep quiet of course so I’ll stay vague…but whatever happens in the next few hours I want you to know…if you’ve been waiting and aching to watch a movie, we’ll be going soon. Stay tuned and stay with me. I need your help pic.twitter.com/RcFIWYsUFi —@VeraDrew22 On Tuesday, Drew tweeted a hint before the screening that she suspected something might be up. “I have no idea how it’s going today and my team wants me to keep quiet of course so I’ll stay vague…but whatever happens in the next few hours I want you to know…if you’ve been waiting and aching to see our movie , [you’re] arriving soon,” he tweeted. “Stay tuned and stay with me.”
