‘Joker’ Director Todd Phillips Comments On Those Sequel Rumors, Calls Them ‘Anticipatory’
It’s been nothing but rumors this last week surrounding a sequel for Todd Phillips’ Joker movie. The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that a second film was confirmed, but within just a few hours of release, the article was debunked and no such movie is in pre-production… yet.
Joaquin Phoenix made several comments before the announcement was made about the possibility of making a second movie, and he seemed to be on board. Phillips also had commented on a sequel, but now has been forced to address the rumors which went rampant over the last several days. The director is calling the confirmation of a Joker 2 “anticipatory,” but also isn’t denying it won’t happen at all.
While speaking with IndieWire, Phillips noted that there was no current contract for a second Joker.
“Here’s the real truth about a sequel. While Joaquin and I have talked about it, and while touring the world with Warner Bros executives — going to Toronto, and Venice, and other places — of course, we’re sitting at dinner and they’re saying, ‘So, have you thought about…?’ But, talking about contracts, there’s not a contract for us to even write a sequel, we’ve never approached Joaquin to be in a sequel. Will that happen? Again, I just think the article was anticipatory at best.”
With the success of Joker at the worldwide box office, it would be quite the shock if Phillips and Phoenix were not approached about a sequel, especially given the critical acclaim granted to the first. Phillips admitting that a sequel was once discussed with some Warner Bros. executives is a positive for fans as it leaves the doors open. Joker lovers can probably expect some kind of announcement regarding a new film by the end of 2020.
A sequel is not something one would find on Phoenix’s resume, but Phillips has dabbled in the multiple-movie business before. The eclectic director is the genius behind The Hangover and its two sequels but has not done other film groupings other than that. Joker 2 is still on his IMDb credit list, so it looks like everyone is still holding out some hope.
“In the second or third week of shooting, I was like, ‘Todd, can you start working on a sequel? There’s way too much to explore,'” Phoenix previously said of a sequel.
Phillips had always claimed Joker was going to be a standalone film and it might be best to leave well enough alone. The movie is not a part of the DCEU (if that’s even a thing anymore these days) and was supposed to be a one and done project.
