Okay, cue the clip. We'll come to
it straight out of break.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Five... Four... Three...
DIRECTOR
Roll clip. Put up the show graphic.
ON THE SHOW MONITOR, video of Joker's original stand-up
performance comes up with the show's graphic in the lower
right of the screen.
109
INT. TALK SHOW SET, STAGE - STUDIO 4B - CONTINUOUS
109
ON THE SET, Murray watches the clip on the monitor above his
desk, can't help but laugh. Sees the FLOOR DIRECTOR counting
him down silently with her fingers... Three... Two... points
to Camera One.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(looking into camera)
O-kay, you may have seen that clip
of our next guest when we first
played it two weeks ago. Now before
he comes out, I just want to say
that we're all heartbroken here and
sensitive to what's going on in the
city tonight. But, this is how he
wanted to come on the show. So let
me introduce-- The Joker.
104.
BEHIND THE BLUE CURTAIN, Joker gathers himself, ready for his
moment. Doesn't hear his introduction or see a STAGEHAND pull
open the curtain for him to go out--
ON SET, THE CURTAIN'S OPEN, Don Ellis and his Jazz Orchestra
are playing Joker on. He doesn't come out. Murray looks over
to the empty space in the curtain.
The audience laughs.
BEHIND THE CURTAIN, Joker sees the stagehand motioning for
him to go out on stage. Joker starts out, pausing when he
takes a step into the bright lights. The stagehand doesn't
see him stop, and drops the curtain back on Joker before the
audience can really see his face--
Tangling Joker up in the curtain.
The audience keeps laughing thinking it's part of his act.
The band keeps playing him on. Joker untangles himself from
the curtain and the audience gets a good look at him.
Some continue laughing. A few boo. Most don't know what to
make of him.
Joker walks across the stage, forgetting to wave like he
practiced. He trips over the riser surrounding the set when
he goes to shake Murray's hand. Almost falls on him.
Murray tries not to crack up. The audience laughs. Thinks
it's part of Joker's act.
Joker reaches out to hug Dr. Sally as she goes in for a
handshake. Another awkward moment. More laughs.
Joker finally sits down next to Murray. Crosses and uncrosses
his legs. Can't get comfortable.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
So, ahhh, thanks for coming on the
show. But I gotta tell ya, with
what happened at City Hall today,
I'm sure many of our viewers here
in the studio, and at home, might
find this look of yours in poor
taste.
Joker's not listening to Murray. He's mesmerized by all the
lights shining on him... all the eyes on him... he doesn't
answer Murray.
Nervous laughter from the audience.
105.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(tries again)
Can you tell us why you're dressed
like this?
AND JOKER STARTS TO LAUGH. Not embarrassed of it anymore. He
goes with it. Giving in to it, enjoying the laughter.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(can't help but smile at
Joker's laughing)
Okay. But I'm not sure how any of
this is funny. A lot of those
protesters are going with this
look. City seems to be full of
clowns these days.
JOKER
(just nods, still
laughing)
Yeah. Isn't it great?
Joker just keeps cracking up. Audience still isn't sure what
to make of him. There's some awkward laughter.
110
INT. DIRECTOR'S BOOTH, STUDIO 4B - CONTINUOUS
110
Nobody's laughing in the booth.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
(looks to the director)
This guy's got nothing.
DIRECTOR
(hits the producer's talk
button; into the mic)
Gene, what the hell? You wanna kill
this?
111
INT. TALK SHOW SET, STAGE - CONTINUOUS
111
Murray glances over at his producer Gene Ufland, who's
sitting off-camera on a director's chair by a monitor. Gene
shrugs at him.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(smiles; trying to save
the interview)
So when we talked earlier, you
mentioned that you aren't
political. That this look isn't a
political statement.
106.
JOKER
(between laughs)
That's right. I'm not political,
Murray. I'm, I'm, I'm just trying
to make people laugh.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(beat; smiles)
How's that goin' for ya? Have you
been working on any new material?
Do you want to tell us a joke?
The audience claps, egging Joker on to tell a joke.
Joker looks over at Murray -- his laughing fit finally
subsiding -- and reaches into his jacket pocket and--
Pulls out his worn notebook, catching his breath. Looks
through it to find a new joke.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
You brought a joke book?
The audience laughs. Joker smiles, opens the page to Bruce
Wayne's photo, pauses for a moment then turns the page. Finds
a joke--
JOKER
(reading)
Okay. Here's one. Knock knock.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
Oh god, a knock-knock joke? And you
need to read it?
JOKER
(nods, reads it again)
I want to get it right. Knock
knock.
Murray makes a face like, "Okay, I’ll go along with this."
MURRAY FRANKLIN
Who’s there?
JOKER
(looks up from his
notebook)
It's the police, ma'am. Your son
has been hit by a drunk driver.
He's dead.
Beat.
107.
112
INT. DIRECTOR'S BOOTH, STUDIO 4B - CONTINUOUS
112
The associate producer tries not to laugh, but she can't help
it. The director looks over at her like she's lost her mind.
DIRECTOR
(shakes his head)
Okay, ready Camera Two. Take Two.
Ready Three. Three.
ON THE MONITORS, some of the audience cracks up. Joker smiles
at the response. Murray Franklin shakes his head, smirking at
the joke despite himself.
MURRAY FRANKLIN (ON MONITORS)
So, Arthur, you told me backstage
that your--
Joker leans over interrupting Murray, whispers something to
him.
113
INT. TALK SHOW SET, STAGE - STUDIO 4B - CONTINUOUS
113
Murray nods as Joker whispers.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(bemused smile;
patronizing)
Right. Sorry. I mean Joker-- you
&nbs
p; told me backstage that your
mother's a big fan of the show,
that she never misses it.
Joker puts the notebook back in his pocket. Crosses his legs,
starting to get a bit more comfortable.
JOKER
That's right, Murray. But she's
dead now.
The audience laughs.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(goes along with the
"joke")
Hold on. Your mother's dead?
JOKER
Yeah. She is.
Murray's not sure if this is part of his act.
108.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
Okay. What about your father? Does
he watch the show?
Laughter from the crowd.
JOKER
I don't know who my father is,
Murray. Turns out I was adopted and
sexually assaulted by my mother's
boyfriend.
A few in the audience groan. A couple even laugh. Still think
it's just Joker's edgy, off-kilter sense of humor.
Don Ellis plays "wha-wha-wha-whuuuuh" on his trumpet from the band stand.
DR. SALLY FRIEDMAN
Ahhhh! No, no,-- You can not joke
about that.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(shakes his head;
irritated)
Yeah, that's not funny, that's not
the kind of humor we do on this
show.
Murray glances over at Gene in the wings. He gives him the
"wrap it up" sign.
JOKER
(just keeps going, on a
roll)
Sorry. It's been a rough few
months, Murray. I mean, after my
mother died, the police came to
question me at her funeral. Who
does that?
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(too easy)
Oh really? Were you a suspect?
The audience laughs.
JOKER
Very funny, Murray. No, they came
because I killed those three Wall
Street guys.
Beat.
109.
Studio audience can't tell if he's joking or not. Murray
can't either.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(looks at him confused)
Okay. I'm waiting for the
punchline.
JOKER
There is no punchline. It's not a
joke.
114
INT. DIRECTOR'S BOOTH, STUDIO 4B - CONTINUOUS
114
The director stares at the monitor.
DIRECTOR
Did he just confess to killing the
Wall Street Three?
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
(horrified)
Yeah. I think he did.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
(turns to the director,
nods)
He definitely did.
DIRECTOR
Jesus Christ.
(hits the camera talk
button, into mic)
Camera Three, get in close.
ANGLE ON MONITOR, Camera Three zooming in close on Joker's
face.
115
INT. TALK SHOW SET, STAGE - CONTINUOUS
115
Gene Ufland is now standing up from his chair. Motions for
Murray to kill the interview. Murray shakes his head to
himself. This is a big "get," it could be great television.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(turns back to Joker; with
gravitas)
You're serious, aren't you? You're
telling us you killed those three
boys on the subway. Why should we
believe you?
110.
JOKER
(shrugs)
I got nothing left to lose, Murray.
Nothing can hurt me anymore. This
is my fate, it was always my fate.
My life is nothing but a comedy.
116
INT. SOPHIE'S APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
116
Sophie's sitting on her couch watching this interview play
out on TV. GiGi's asleep next to her. The open envelope and
*
the money are lying on the coffee table. No sign of the
*
flowers anywhere.
*
MURRAY FRANKLIN (ON TV)
Let me get this straight, you think
killing those young men is funny?
JOKER (ON TV)
Yeah. But comedy is subjective,
isn't that what they say? Besides,
the way I see it, what happened was
a good thing. All of you, Gotham,
the system that knows so much, you
decide, you decide what's right and
wrong. What's real or what's made
up. The same way you decide what's
funny or not.
Sophie edges forward on the couch, can almost see a hint of
agreement on her face.
117
INT. TALK SHOW SET, STAGE - STUDIO 4B - CONTINUOUS
117
Back on set, we can tell by the way Murray's now interviewing
Joker, talking to him slower, more thoughtfully, that he
thinks this is gonna get him an Emmy... Maybe even a Peabody.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(beat)
Okay, I think I understand. You did
it to start a movement, to become a
symbol.
JOKER
C'mon, Murray, do I look like the
kind of clown who could start a
movement? I killed those guys
*
because they were awful.
*
Everybody's awful these days. It's
enough to make anyone crazy.
*
111.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
So that's it, you're crazy. That's
your defense for killing three
young men? Because they were mean
*
to you?
*
JOKER
No. They couldn't carry a tune to
*
save their lives.
*
Some audible groans from the audience.
*
JOKER
*
Why is everyone so upset about
*
these guys? Because Thomas Wayne
*
went and cried about them on TV?
MURRAY FRANKLIN
*
You have a problem with Thomas
Wayne, too?
JOKER
Yeah. I do. Everything comes so
easy for him.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
And what's wrong with that?
JOKER
Have you seen what it's like out
there, Murray? Do you ever actually
*
leave the studio? Everybody just
*
yells and screams at each other.
*
Nobody's civil anymore. Nobody
thinks what it's like to be the
other guy. You think men like
*
Thomas Wayne, men at ease, ever
think what it's like to be a guy
like me? To be anybody but
themselves.
(shaking his head, voice
rising)
They don't. They think we'll all
just sit there and take it like
good little boys. That we won't
werewolf and go wild. Well, this is
*
for all of you out there.
Joker "howls at the moon." It's fucking weird.
112.
118
INT. S
TATION SQUAD ROOM - 7TH PRECINCT - CONTINUOUS
118
OFFICERS AND DETECTIVES JUMPING INTO ACTION, rushing past a
small portable black & white television sitting on one of the desks, hear one of them shout--
POLICE LIEUTENANT (OS)
That asshole just confessed to
killing those Wall Street guys on
fucking live TV!
ANGLE ON THE LITTLE TV, TIGHT TWO-SHOT OF JOKER looking at
Murray.
MURRAY FRANKLIN (ON TV)
(shakes his head)
So much self-pity, Arthur. You
sound like you're making excuses
for killing three young men. Not
everybody's awful.
*
119
INT. TALK SHOW SET, STAGE - STUDIO 4B - CONTINUOUS
119
Back on set. Joker looks straight at Murray.
JOKER
You're awful, Murray.
There is no more laughter. The audience is watching this
exchange with full attention.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
Me? How am I awful?
JOKER
Playing my video, inviting me on
*
the show,-- You just wanted to make
*
fun of me. Well it's easy to laugh
*
at Frankenstein on a crowded beach,
*
isn't it? You're just like the rest
*
of them, Murray. Everything comes
too easy for you.
MURRAY FRANKLIN
(on the spot; defensive)
You don't know the first thing
about me, pal. Look what happened
because of what you did, Arthur,
what it led to. There are riots out
there. Two policemen are in
*
critical condition, someone was
*
killed today.
*
113.
Joker nods in agreement, yeah, it's because of what he did.
*
JOKER
*
How about another joke, Murray?
*
What do you get when you cross a
*
mentally-ill loner with a system
that abandons him and treats him
like trash?
Murray pauses for a minute, not really listening to Joker,
suddenly realizing the seriousness of the situation. He
starts to turn to camera--
JOKER
(pulls Randall's gun)
*
I'll tell you what you get. You get
*
what you fucking deserve,--
*
And as Murray Franklin turns back to him, JOKER SHOOTS THE
SIDE OF MURRAY'S HEAD OFF--
Blood splatters all over the back of the set. Some spraying
in Joker's face. AUDIENCE SCREAMS! Dr. Sally dives for the
floor.
120
INT. SOPHIE'S APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
120
Sophie screams and jumps to her feet horrified! Waking up
GiGi who starts to cry when she sees what's on television--
ON THE TELEVISION, Joker gets up and walks right up to the
camera. Blood sprayed over his white painted face. Hear the
studio audience still screaming, bedlam all around him.
The Joker (2019) Script Page 11