Who is Vera Drew?
Vera Drew is a multi-talented artist based in Los Angeles, working as a writer, director, and editor. Her first full-length film, The People’s Joker, tells the story of a struggling clown dealing with issues of gender identity, young love, and familiar enemies, all while establishing an unauthorized comedy venue in Gotham City.
A quirky and satirical comic book parody called The People’s Joker caused a stir when it was removed from the Toronto Film Festival. However, it is now set to make its way to cinemas thanks to the acquisition by Altered Innocence, a distributor based in Los Angeles. The film is scheduled to have its theatrical release on April 5.
The highly skilled editor and director, Vera Drew, who has earned an Emmy nomination, has a strong background in collaborating with Tim and Eric. She has also worked on popular shows such as I Think You Should Leave and Comedy Bang! Bang! To finance the film and create the majority of its special effects and artwork, Drew utilized a crowdsourcing approach, enlisting the help of over 100 talented artists, many of whom identify as queer.
Vera Drew’s ‘The People’s Joker’
Drew takes on the role of the protagonist in a unique coming-of-age tale that explores the origins of “Batman” antagonist The Joker, now reimagined as a transgender comedian.
As Joker the Harlequin, Vera Drew struggles with their gender identity while striving to make it big on Gotham City’s UCB Live, the sole government-approved late-night sketch show and the only opportunity for up-and-coming comedians in a city that has banned comedy.
DC has sent a cease-and-desist letter because the show includes licensed characters like Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and the Penguin who support the main character. This gender-fluid comedian goes by the name “Joker the Harlequin.”
These figures have become iconic modern legends in American culture, continuously reinvented and reimagined by the corporation that oversees them.
Vera Drew’s full-length parody film playfully straddles the boundary of fair use, showcasing both a strong passion for the subject matter and a strong distrust for the industry. This led the director to withdraw the film from the Toronto Film Festival following its lively debut at Midnight Madness, citing concerns over rights.
This unconventional underground venture presents a fresh interpretation of the Joker’s backstory, portraying it as a tale of self-discovery and self-acceptance within the LGBTQ+ community.
The project utilizes a blend of techniques, including rough live-action footage reminiscent of low-budget television productions (captured in front of green screens and combined with basic computer-generated sets), enhanced with a variety of hand-crafted animations.
The film, funded in part by crowdfunding and filmed entirely with a greenscreen, includes appearances from Tim Heidecker, Bob Odenkirk, Maria Bamford (known for her role in Netflix’s “Big Mouth”), and Scott Aukerman (from “Between Two Ferns” with Zach Galifianakis).
The film The People’s Joker was produced utilizing a green screen and showcases the talents of more than 200 individual artists, with a focus on the LGBTQ+ community. These artists used a variety of techniques including 2D, 3D, and stop-motion animation.”
Joey Lyons produced the film while Richie Doyle, Conor Hannon, and Riccardo Maddalosso served as executive producers. The film received funding from a crowdfunding campaign.
