TIFF Pulls Parody Film 'The People's Joker' While It Receives Rave Reviews

Buzz coming out of this year's Toronto International Film Festival surrounds a movie called The People's Joker, a Joker parody created by Emmy-nominated film editor Vera Drew, which uses various Batman characters to tell the story of her growing up trans.

The film was shown exactly once before being shut down by a cease and desist from Warner Bros., leaving the future of the movie in doubt.

The movie appears to be wringing a shoestring budget for all its worth, as the teaser and reviews have remarked on its blend of green-screen and animated sequences. Drew works at Abso Lutely productions, which absurdist comedy enjoyers will remember is the company behind Adult Swim and Comedy Central shows like Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Nathan For You and The Eric Andre Show.

Reviews from The People's Joker's one screening suggest that DNA has made its way into the film while noting absurdist comedy staples like Tim Heidecker, Scott Aukerman and Bob Odenkirk make cameos in the film. Furthermore, reviews have complimented the film's wacky narrative style in addition to its unflinching potshots at IP laws and the stand-up comedy scene.

Unfortunately for Drew and her team, it's possible no one will be able to see it again. The rest of the film's screenings at TIFF have been canceled while the festival has put out a statement to ticketholders organizing refunds. Warner Bros. has declined to comment on the situation, but it's no small leap in logic to assume the company did not approve of the film.

Slate also noted that even if Drew overcame Warner Bros., she'd likely then have to overcome legal battles from musical titans like Pink Floyd and Eminem, both of which have songs that appear in the film and were purportedly not cleared.

Drew appeared confounded by the situation but hinted that anyone who wanted to watch her film would be able to eventually.

I have no clue how today goes and my team wants me to say nothing 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 our movie, ur going to get to soon. Stay tuned and stay with me. Need ur help pic.twitter.com/RcFIWYsUFi

— Vera Drew (@VeraDrew22) September 13, 2022

Perhaps The People's Joker is destined for free release on the internet. It would be a very Joker move to release a little anarchy onto YouTube.