The 'Joker: Folie a Deux': 5 things we know about the sequel to Joaquin Phoenix Oscar-winner
Todd Phillips, the director of the Oscar-winning 2019 feature 'Joker,' has officially confirmed that he has written a script for a follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2019 film, with a working title ''. The 2019 film was the most financially successful comic book film ever created. But we now know that there is genuine progress on the sequel.
Whatever you think of the 'Joker,' we can all concur, that Arthur Fleck is a different type of Clown Prince of Crime — one with a lot of future possibilities. Director Todd Phillips had already stated that a sequel to Joker is possible, and his new confirmation through an Instagram post has left comic fans ecstatic. We already know that Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur will not cross over to the regular DC timeline to face Robert Pattinson's 'Batman,' so multiverse theories are out. But it doesn't mean there aren't any more Joker-verse stories to be told.
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Who are the writers of the 'Joker' sequel?
Phillips posted a cover page from the screenplay, which he co-wrote with Joker partner Scott Silver, as well as a snapshot of Joaquin Phoenix reading it. 'Joker' grossed $1.07 billion worldwide, a staggering amount for a movie with a relatively low budget by comic book movie norms. 'Joker' garnered 11 Oscar nominations in all, with composer Hildur Gudnadottir claiming best score in addition to Phoenix's triumph.
What is the title set for the 'Joker' sequel?
Phillips also stated that the working title is 'Joker: Folie à deux,' which refers to a medical word for a mental condition that affects two or more people. While 'Joker' takes certain liberties with the 'Batman' mythos,' the tale was nevertheless influenced by major comic-book works such as 'The Killing Joke.' 'The film 'Joker' was hailed for acting more like an early Martin Scorsese feature than a comic book movie, despite the involvement of a young Bruce Wayne.
When did the creators come up with the idea for the sequel?
Soon after the film's release in 2019, Silver and Phillips discussed a possible sequel with then-Warner Bros. film head Toby Emmerich. The Hollywood Reporter stated in 2019 that Phillips will return to develop a Joker sequel, and this week that the filmmaker may act as an advisor on upcoming DC projects for Warner Bros. Phoenix won an Oscar for best actor for his performance as Arthur Fleck, a disturbed guy who transforms into a folk villain type figure at the end of the movie.
Is there a Batman-Joker crossover?
Matt Reeves' 'The Batman' has survived a pandemic shutdown and actor Robert Pattinson caught COVID the day after the film reopened to become one of the pandemic era's first worldwide blockbusters, garnering $770.3 million in global box office receipts. Both 'The Batman' and 'Joker' exist in a separate continuity from the previous DC adaptations, and Reeves even cast Barry Keoghan in a cameo appearance as a different version of the Joker. Even though every other film studio was attempting to replicate the Marvel model of having heroes and villains appear in each other's films, Warner Bros. chose to let filmmakers Todd Phillips and Matt Reeves craft completely separate storylines. That's not to suggest 'Joker' and 'The Batman' won't inspire new ideas, but there was never any notion of pitting Robert Pattinson's hero against Phoenix's Clown Prince of Crime.
What is the 'Joker' sequel all about?
While Phillips' Instagram post did not provide any plot details about the next 'Joker' film, the title does have some fascinating connotations. Folie à deux, meaning "shared madness," is a colloquial phrase for shared delusional condition. That could refer to how Gotham City embraces Arthur's villainy in the first film, but it could also imply that Phillips' sequel will feature his own interpretation of Joker's main (and, really, only) ally in life, crime, and madness, Harley Quinn — who has previously been played by Kaley Cuoco (in animation) and Margot Robbie (in live-action).