The slow descent into madness of the man who would become Batman’s arch nemesis is revealed in Director Todd Phillips’ new dramatic thriller, Joker.

Phillips’ film tells the story of Arthur Fleck, a would-be comedian who is struggling to find his way in the fractured society of Gotham City. Earning his living as a clown-for-hire by day, he seems trapped in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty until one day when he makes a bad decision that sets off a chain reaction of escalating events and starts him on the path to becoming the criminal mastermind known as "The Joker."

Following the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles on October 6, Phillips sat down with Director Ivan Reitman (Draft Day) to discuss the making of Joker. Phillips had previously discussed the film in a conversation with Director Mary Harron (Charlie Says) following the DGA membership screening in New York on October 4.

In addition to Joker, Phillips’ credits include the feature films Road Trip, Old School, Starsky & Hutch, School for Scoundrels, The Hangover, Due Date and War Dogs. Phillips has been a DGA member since 1998.

You can listen to the Los Angeles Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find more DGA podcast episodes here.