Joaquin Phoenix is relentlessly grim and possibly Oscar bound in Todd Phillips’ standalone Joker origin story.

He plays Arthur Fleck “a clown-for-hire by day, who aspires to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study.”

As the trailer ends, we see Joaquin transform into the titular DC super villain.

Watch the final trailer below… It’ll blow your mind….

Warner Bros. will release Joker on Oct. 4.

You might recall the first trailer hit back in April.

Watch it again, I implore you. Joaquin is absolutely mesmerizing. Near the end, when he finally intones “I thought my life was a tragedy, but now I realize: It’s a comedy” – thus becoming the Joker – you will both cry and cheer at the same time. He’s Rupert Pupkin from The King of Comedy on steroids. WOW. WOW. WOW.

Smile, though your heart is breaking, indeed.

(via ONTD)