UPDATE [08/06/2022]: By sharing a post on his personal Instagram earlier this week, director Todd Phillips has officially confirmed that a Joker sequel is indeed in the works. As a follow-up to the wildly successful and divisive 2019 thriller, Joker 2 – working title Joker: Folie à Deux – will again be helmed and written by Phillips and writing partner Scott Silver, who also worked on the first film.
Absolutely nothing beyond the Instagram post has eventuated, so while we don’t have any plot details at all, we do have plenty of speculation based on the working title. “Folie à deux” can be translated to “madness of two” and has come to denote a shared psychotic disorder – rare, but an actual thing that’s shared by two or more people with close emotional ties.
Considering this definition, it’s likely we’ll be introduced to a well-known DC character who shares close emotional ties with Joker. That being Harley Quinn. Although it’s likely we’ll be seeing someone other than Margot Robbie introduced in this particular franchise as the off-the-wall villain, seeing as Robbie’s Quinn has already been paired with Jared Leto’s Joker in Suicide Squad.
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And while the question remains as to whom will be picked to portray Harley Quinn, the biggest question right now is whether or not we’ll be seeing more of Arthur Fleck via Joaquin Phoenix. The answer is fairly clear, seeing as Phillips’ Instagram post also included a shot of Phoenix reading the screenplay for Joker: Folie à Deux.
Warner Bros. has not yet commented officially on the Instagram post, but we can rest assured that at least Todd Phillips, Scott Silver, and Joaquin Phoenix are all onboard for the confirmed Joker sequel.
We’ll keep you updated once more details drop. And if you’re yet to watch the 2019 original, Joker should already be on most of the major streaming services in Australia including Netflix Australia.
Original Article – ‘Joker’ Sequel Reportedly On The Way
In a recent report published by The Hollywood Reporter, the industry insiders offhandedly mentioned a sequel to Todd Phillips’ Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix was currently in development.
Rumours surrounding such a project have been in circulation ever since its critically and commercially acclaimed release back in 2019. After all the dust and controversy had settled, the film had countless award nominations to its name – cleaning up at the BAFTAs, earning Phoenix an Academy Award for Best Actor – as well as storming the box office and successfully captivating the cultural zeitgeist.
“When a movie does $1 billion and cost $60 million to make, of course it comes up,” says Phillips.
“But Joaquin and I haven’t really decided on it. We’re open. I mean, I’d love to work with him on anything, quite frankly. So who knows?”
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“But it would have to have a real thematic resonance the way this one did, ultimately being about childhood trauma and the lack of love, and the loss of empathy. All those things are really what made this movie work for us, so we’d have to have something that had an equal thematic resonance.”
Late last year, Warner Bros. had apparently opened negotiations to court Joaquin Phoenix for a return as Arthur Fleck / the eponymous Joker, offering what many believe to be a staggering $50 million payday for not one Joker sequel, two whole films to complete the trilogy.
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As previously noted, the most surprising aspect of this development isn’t the dollar figure itself but Phoenix’s own interest. Having once turned down the role of Marvel’s Doctor Strange due to the ongoing commitment it would entail, his experience with the DC release may have left a meaningful impact for the better.
“Joaquin initially felt Joker was a standalone movie,” an insider tells The Mirror.
“But he’s changed his tune now. He says he wants to play this character again, despite the controversies that came with the release last year… It’s still being negotiated but the scripts are being written and Joaquin is very engaged with it.”
I suppose we’ll simply get what we fucking deserve.
