'Joker 2' in the Works, Joaquin Phoenix Returning
Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is set to terrorize Gotham City yet again. On Tuesday, Todd Phillips, who wrote and directed the 2019 film, revealed that there is a sequel in the works. While he did not release too many details about the upcoming film, he did confirm that Phoenix will return to star as Arthur Fleck.
Phillips shared the news by posting a photo of the screenplay for the Joker sequel, with the second photo in the Instagram gallery showing Phoenix reading the script. The first photo featured the front page of the script, which was dated May 18, 2022, and noted that it was written by Phillips and Scott Silver, who co-wrote the first film. The script features the title, Joker: Folie à Deux. While the "deux" refers to the fact that it's a sequel to 2019's Joker, the phrase "folie a deux" has an interesting connection to the villain. According to Vocabulary.com, "folie à deux" refers to a mental disorder that two people experience at the same time. Considering that the Joker is quite the troubled figure (to put it lightly), it's an all too fitting subtitle.
The news of Joker's sequel comes several months after Phoenix addressed the possibility during an interview with The Playlist. At the time, he did say that he would be interested in portraying Arthur Fleck again, but that there were no immediate plans for Joker 2. He told the publication, "I mean, I dunno. From when we were shooting, we started to —you know, uhh, this is an interesting guy. There are some things we could do with this guy and could [explore] further. But as to whether we actually will? I don't know." After Joker performed exceptionally well at the box office, there were rumors that Phillips had pitched Warner Bros. to expand the DC universe with additional origin story films. However, he both denied that any pitch session occurred and commented on his future with the company.
"I can honestly say to you there was no meeting that ever happened on October 7 where I marched in," Phillips told IndieWire. "First of all, if you know me and my career, that's not my style. I made a huge comedy at Warner Bros., The Hangover, and I didn't suddenly become a comedy factory producer, like, oh, let's just churn out movies. Bradley [Cooper] and I have a production company at Warners. I've been at Warners for 15, 16 years. We have two things in development at all times, not 40 things like some people. I'm not the kind of guy who goes marching in saying I want these 40 titles. I just don't have the energy."
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