The first image of Joaquin Phoenix as The Joker has been unveiled - but it's not quite what you imagined. The plot for 'Joker' is currently under wraps and, as it's an origins story, we might not get to see Joaquin in full Joker make-up for quite some time yet. 

Joaquin Phoenix at the premiere of 'Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot'Joaquin Phoenix at the premiere of 'Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot'

Alas, we are yet to get a peak of what the 43-year-old will look like in the Joker guise that we are familiar with, but seeing him in his pre-supervillain character, Arthur Fleck, is still an exciting moment.

This will be the first time an origins movie for the Joker has been released. Directed and co-written by the Oscar nominated Todd Phillips ('The Hangover') with Scott Silver ('8 Mile'), the movie will also star Robert De Niro (possibly as Batman's father Thomas Wayne) as well as Zazie Beetz from 'Atlanta' and 'Deadpool 2' as the character Sophie Dumond. 

Phillips has described the story - which is set in the 80s - as an 'exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale'. But other than that, there are few clues as to what the story will entail.

Previous live action incarnations of the Joker have been portrayed by Cesar Romero in the 'Batman' TV series, Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's 'Batman', Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight', Jared Leto in 'Suicide Squad' and Cameron Monaghan in 'Gotham'.

Joaquin Phoenix has also been announced to star in a forthcoming Casey Affleck Western called 'Far Bright Star', based on the novel by Robert Olmstead, while his next film to be released is Jacques Audiard's 'The Sisters Brothers' which is out on September 21st.

Asked why he decided to work on the project, Joaquin told Collider: 'It feels unique, it is its own world in some ways, and maybe, mostly, it scares the f**king s**t out of me or something. It might as well be the thing that scares you the most.'

More: Joaquin Phoenix teases Joker origins role

'Joker' will be released on October 4th 2019.