Vera Drew’s The People’s Joker is ostensibly a parody of the Batman universe, but it’s also a personalized reinterpretation of the characters and themes to tell a love story, a coming of age story, and a story about gender. Though Warner Brothers, who holds the rights to Batman and the related characters, has not made a public comment on the Vera Drew’s parody of the universe, it seems fair to say that they’d rather you didn’t see The People’s Joker, which is currently playing around the country in limited engagements. The movie’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022 was cancelled due to copyright concerns. It’s just now that the movie is rolling out in limited engagements around the country.

In today’s episode, Drew talks about the path to making The People’s Joker, why a personal story made sense to be projected onto the Batman universe, and the long road to its release. And later in the show, film historian and programmer Elizabeth Purchell discusses the queer history of the superhero genre as well as how The People’s Joker may shift that landscape.

Keep the conversation going. Follow The Entertainment on Facebook, Instagram, or Substack and let us know what you think. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app and we’d love it if you gave us a review. The Entertainment is a production of KIOS 91.5 FM Omaha Public Radio. It is produced and edited by Courtney Bierman. Our artwork was created by Topher Booth. Today’s show featured music and clips from The People’s Joker, Joker, Batman Forever, Blond Venus, and Batman and Robin.

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14. The Movie Warner Bros. Doesn't Want You to See