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Watch Joaquin Phoenix Transform Into the Joker

"Joker" tells the origin story of the notorious Gotham character

Warner Bros. dropped its first teaser trailer for "Joker" on Wednesday, giving fans a sneak peek of Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of the iconic villain.

Movie lovers have been anxiously awaiting the teaser, especially after the studio released a chilling poster for the film on Tuesday. Todd Phillips, the director of the film, also gave fans a glimpse of the trailer a day early at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

"Joker" tells the origin story of the notorious Gotham character. However, this was likely easier said than done since Phillips said Arthur, the man who turns into the Joker, doesn't have much of a background.

"When the marketing department at Warners asked me the other day to describe the movie, I said 'I can't,'" he told CinemaCon attendees, per The Hollywood Reporter. "They said at least tell us the genre, and I thought about it for a minute and said, 'It's a tragedy.'"

See How Joaquin Phoenix's Joker Compares to Past Transformations

Phoenix isn't the first actor to play the Joker. Jared Leto played the character in the 2016 film "Suicide Squad." The late Heath Ledger also played the character in the 2008 film "The Dark Knight" and Jack Nicholson took on the role for the 1989 film "Batman."

Watch the video to see the trailer. The film hits theaters Oct. 4.

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