Protests erupt in NYC — not for Trump but for ‘Joker’

During the shooting of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ in New York City, fans got the opportunity to witness the film’s shooting outside a courtroom

Throngs of protesters gathered at the courthouse steps, chanting for freedom for their embattled hero. Police kept watch as passions flared and voices roared. Squad cars and television trucks encircled the commotion.

It’s a scene New York City authorities have been bracing for as prosecutors consider an indictment against former President Donald Trump, who has invited followers to rally on his behalf. But on Saturday, it was just a movie shoot — for the Joker sequel to be precise.

The roars faded and the crowds dispersed — on command — when the director yelled, “Cut!”

The New York City shoot for the upcoming Joker sequel had been planned for months; but in recent days, production crews wrestled with the possibility that filming could be disrupted by real-life protests over the Trump case — none of which have so far materialized. In the end, film workers forged ahead, said Leo Maniscalchi, a production assistant, who was taking a break at a nearby coffee house.

“They needed to do what they needed to get this done,” he said.

In the film, the Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix, inspires protests against Gotham’s elites.

In real life, Trump has inspired protests, too. In recent weeks, the former president has called on his supporters to protest what he said was an impending indictment accusing him of paying $130,000 to buy the silence of porn actor Stormy Daniels.