Joker is having quite a moment. The Todd Phillips-directed DC film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the iconic character in a re-imagining of his origins, and with just weeks to go before the theatrical debut, the film is racking up big buzz. Joker debuted at the Venice International Film Festival, where it scooped up the prestigious Golden Lion, the festival's top prize Screenings rolled out at TIFF this week, to another round of acclaim and heated debate, and the conversation has noticeably shifted in the Oscar direction.

But Joker isn't just a potential awards contender, it's the latest offering from Warner Bros. and DC Films that further cements their pivot towards singular standalone films rather than putting a premium on the shared universe. But looking at films like Aquaman and Shazam! there's definitely a way to do a standalone film that still ties to the bigger universe. So with that in mind, can we expect Phoenix's Joker and Robert Pattinson's Batman to crossover anytime soon? "No. Definitely not," according to Phillips.

robert-pattinson-high-life
Image via A24

The Joker director is keeping busy with press during the festival rollout and during a red carpet interview, the folks over at Variety asked if he saw the worlds of Joker and The Batman merging together any time soon, and the filmmaker's exit line -- "definitely not" -- was loud and clear.

Philips re-iterated that sentiment during a Q&A at a TIFF screening on Monday night, telling the crowd, "I don’t see it connecting to anything in the future... This is just a movie.” Well, there's that. Pretty cut and dry, according to the director.

Pattinson was recently cast in Matt Reeves' developing Batman standalone, which will reportedly take the Caped Crusader back to his detective roots and see him hunting down a rogue's gallery of the Gotham greats. The actor recently revealed he chased down the role and has wanted to take on the character for a long time; exciting news for anyone familiar with the quality of his work in other recent passion projects.

For more on Joker and The Batman, check out the links below.

todd-phillips-war-dogs
Image via Warner Bros.
joker-joaquin-phoenix-face-paint
Image via Warner Bros.

joker-movie-poster