Now that Todd Phillips’ “Joker” has made $1 billion, all of Hollywood isn’t just shaken by its success, but also likely confused by the interest it has garnered nationwide. Phillips and Phoenix, both commendable artists whose singular vision drove this incredible movie, have shown a lack of interest for months in making a sequel to the film … until now.
According to THR, Phillips is developing a sequel to “Joker” which he is expected to co-write with Scott Silver. At the moment, it is just an on-paper idea, nothing has been greenlit or officialized, but this is an interesting development.
The report tells the inside story of Phillips meeting with the head of WB, Toby Emmerich, right after “Joker” had its $100 million opening weekend Talks had to do with tackling more DC characters in a “Joker”-esque origin story kind of way. However, the main topic tackled during that meeting was for Phillips to work on a direct sequel to his blockbuster film.
Phoenix is expected to return for the sequel, as the studio has already locked him into the project with an option in his contract for one more movies. All of this is happening as Phoenix is expected to land an Oscar nomination, and perhaps even win, for his performance in “Joker.”
At the moment, it’s too early to really tell how this planned sequel will turn out, but a succeeding installment to “Joker” isn’t something I would passionately support. Mostly because “Joker” is such a unique vision that it should really be kept in its time-capsule-worthy bubble. A sequel could dilute the landmark achievement Phoenix and Phillips have created out of a paper-thin $30 million budget.
A two-minute teaser has been released, and it looks intriguing and beautiful; Shyamalan is working with a new DP on this one, Adolpho Veloso—who shot the acclaimed “Train Dreams.”