When it was first announced, director Todd Phillips' Joker origin movie seemed like an ethereal project in Warner Bros.’ ever-shifting tapestry of DC films. Though the studios certainly seemed serious about it, many fans expected it a sure candidate to reside in development hell, possibly never seeing even the start of production.

However, here we now are more than a year later, and the movie is already in the middle of shooting. Not only that, we recently caught our first glimpse at actor Joaquin Phoenix in the clown makeup, though it may not be the maniacal super-villain's final look in the film. While little is known about the movie’s story, it's been confirmed that Phoenix's character Arthur Fleck is the lead of the film and, as far as we know, there will be no Batman roaming the rooftops of Gotham City.

RELATED: Joaquin Phoenix Terrorizes a Subway Station as The Joker in Set Video

However, that's not to say that the film won't take place in a universe that embraces the comic books published by DC Comics. After a set video from the film surfaced revealing Phoenix's Joker tormenting the Gotham City subway, a photo from the set also began making the rounds showinga map of the entire subway system of Gotham City. At first glance, it looked like any old city subway map. But upon closer inspection, fans have been realizing it holds a number of nods to the world of Batman, both on the comic book page and on the big screen.

Here is a rundown of every secret this map contains about the Batman mythos.

References to Previous Batman Films

You might not notice at first, but the map of this version of Gotham City is actually heavily inspired by the one seen in director Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy. While Nolan's movies themselves never gave us a clear overview of the Gotham City plans, a map of the city was released in Insight Edition's The Dark Knight Manual, an extensive guide to the making of Nolan's Bat-films. The map from the manual, when juxtaposed to the one from Phillips' Joker, is strikingly similar. In fact, the three main islands that comprise Gotham City are exactly alike.

Gotham Nolan trilogy map

This reference to Christopher Nolan's film also receives a direct homage thanks to a station named Nolan Lane (though this could be a double nod to artist Graham Nolan, as well). A close inspection of the map reveals a Jack Street, likely a reference to Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. Plus, one of the main parts of the middle island is named Snyder, believed to be a reference to director Zack Snyder, who was instrumental in bringing the DC Extended Universe to life.

And if all that weren't enough, the first station under Kane County is Adam's Drive, which has to be a reference to Batman ‘66 actor Adam West.

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A Gotham City True to the Comics

If you look to the West of the Gotham City map, you'll find perhaps the most interesting addition to Gotham City in the form of the Burnside neighborhood. The area is a fairly new addition to the Batman mythology, and one that is not directly connected to Bruce Wayne's Batman but rather Barbara Gordon's Batgirl. Burnside debuted in 2014's Batgirl #35 by Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr, and it was the super-heroine’s main operating grounds for the better part of four years. Until recently, Burnside was under the protection of Batgirl, and has become heavily associated with the character, to the point that the costume she wore during that time became known as the "Batgirl of Burnside" outfit.

Batgirl of Burnside, by Cameron Stewart

But that's not all. The map of Gotham City also showcases some iconic areas from the comics, like Kane County in the top right corner, a portion of the city that was once owned by the Kane family -- aka the family of Bruce Wayne's mother, Martha. To the East, readers will notice a stretch of land known as Amusement Mile, which debuted in the comics before becoming an important Joker-related area in the popular Batman: Arkham video game series.

Nods to DC Comics Creators

Many of the train stations and map areas are named after DC Comics creators. There's Starlin Avenue, a reference to Jim Starlin, writer of Dark Knight classics Batman: The Cult and A Death in the Family. There is also Englehart Blvd., which is a nod to classic Batman writer Steve Englehart, Grant Morrison and Alan Grant are honored with Grant Field and Grant Ave, and on the Burnside side, there is another station named Snyder, likely named after Batman and Dark Nights: Metal writer Scott Snyder.

Court of Owls

Further nods to creators also include Chiarello Drive, a nod to DC Vice President of Art Direction Mark Chiarello; Sheldon Park, a possible reference to Sheldon Moldoff, co-creator of Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and other Bat-related characters. The Rogers neighborhood could be a nod to artist Marshall Rogers, and Kings Ave., which we believe to be a reference to current Batman writer Tom King. Berger St. is probably a nod to legendary DC editor Karen Berger, while Mckean Island we assume is named after Dave McKean, artist on Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.

Of course, given that the picture of the Gotham City map was taken from the set, some parts of it remains a little too blurry to make out, meaning there might be even more secrets left to unlock. But one thing above all else is clear: this movie might have come from left field, and it may be trading a dangerous line in its attempt to give a proper origin story to the Clown Prince of Crime, but it sure looks like it will be honoring its comic book roots. If so much care has been put into designing Gotham City, then Todd Phillips’ Joker may just feature the most comic book-accurate version of Batman's native metropolis.

RELATED: Joker Camera Test Puts Makeup on Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck

Directed and co-written by Todd Phillips, Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character along with Robert De Niro, Marc Maron, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, and Bill Camp. It is scheduled to be released on October 4, 2019.