Warner Bros. recently responded to a joint letter sent by five Aurora families regarding their concern over Todd Phillips’ forthcoming Joker movie, starring Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role. Now two of the five, Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, have released a followup response.
The couple is said to be pleased with Warner Bros.' message, but have asked the production company to “put its money where its mouth is” and follow through with no longer providing political donations to those who stand in the way of gun reform:
In its statement, Warner Bros. highlighted its past support for the survivors of gun violence and its rhetorical public call on lawmakers in Congress to pass stronger gun reform laws. Let us be clear: Asking for change is a good first step, but it’s nowhere near enough. Warner Bros. and its parent company must put its money where its mouth is and announce that it will no longer provide political donations to candidates and lawmakers who stand in the way of gun reform.
At the time of writing, Warner Bros. has yet to respond. Director Todd Phillips recently doubled down on his belief that the film cannot be linked to real-world violence, expressing his frustration at the criticisms lobbied at Joker as opposed to a hyper-violent movie like John Wick.
Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais and Shea Whigham. The film arrives in theaters Oct. 4.