It’s not much, just a single word and a photo on Instagram, but director Todd Phillips has given us the first indication of what we can expect from his upcoming film about The Joker.

Here’s Joaquin Phoenix starring as “Arthur”:

Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur/The Joker. Photo: Instagram

We’ve also got what look to be the first shots from the set in New York:

It looks like Joaquin Phoenix has started filming as the Joker for the standalone #Joker movie! https://t.co/0uwG4l34o0

— JustJared.com (@JustJared) September 16, 2018

If what you’re seeing isn’t what you were expecting of Batman’s greatest nemesis, that’s because this film tells the story of how Arthur turned villainous.

Here’s how Warner Bros described the movie when it was announced in July:

“Phillips’ exploration of a man disregarded by society is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”

The film is due to be released in October 2019 and will stand on its own (so, no clashes with Jared Leto’s Joker or DC’s other films).

It had been reported that Alec Baldwin was cast to play Thomas Wayne – “a cheesy and tanned businessman who is more in the mould of a 1980s Donald Trump,” sources told The Hollywood Reporter – but he says it’s not happening.

Let me state, for the record, that I have NOT been hired to play a role in Todd Phillips’ JOKER as some Donald Trump manque.
That is not happening.
Not.
Happening.

— AlecBaldwin(HABF) (@AlecBaldwin) August 29, 2018

We know that Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz (Atlanta, Deadpool 2) and Marc Maron (Glow) do have roles. But we don’t know what, if anything, we’ll see of Thomas Wayne’s son Bruce, AKA Batman.

On that note, according to a Hollywood Reporter story last month, both Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill are on their way out as Batman and Superman respectively in the DC Extended Universe.

Even though nothing is official, Mad Man star Jon Hamm has already put up his hand to play the caped crusader, telling In Depth With Graham Bensinger, “I’d probably fit the suit.”