“A movie doesn’t make a billion dollars without talking about a sequel,” said Todd Phillips in 2019. At that time there were already rumors that ‘Joker’ would have a new installment, or at least Warner Bros. was interested in developing it, and it is not surprising. However, two years later there has been no news in this regard, only small brushstrokes that have been given, at all times, by the American medium The Hollywood Reporter. That was the medium that first announced the exclusive, although the director did not take long to deny it. It is true that both he and Joaquin Phoenix discussed possible paths for the sequel while filming ‘Joker’, but it seems that they were not entirely serious.
At the beginning of this month the murmur resurfaced. That the sequel to ‘Joker’ continues in Warner’s plans, and that these films are not part of the official DC universe that will be resumed in ‘The Flash’. This detail was buried in an article about the search for the black actor to play the new Superman, and now we get another one, just as buried.
Todd Phillips would have reached an agreement with Warner Bros to co-write the new installment of ‘Joker’ as The Hollywood Reporter insists in an article about the most powerful lawyers in Hollywood.
Of course, it is very likely that all this is true, but you also have to be aware of how the Mecca of Cinema works. Nacho Vigalondo does not call Los Angeles “the city where no movies are made” for nothing: there are hundreds of projects that fail each year, and in recent Warner Bros. and DC history there are quite a few. So: is Todd Phillips writing a ‘Joker’ installment with another writer or writer? Can be. Does that mean that the movie is a reality? No: they still have to finish the script, the studio has to give it the green light for it to happen, and they would need to have Joaquin Phoenix, we suppose. There are many conditions that we will see if they occur or not.
Todd Phillips original idea
Actually, The director’s original proposal for ‘The Hangover’ included two ‘Joker’ sequels, but they would deal with other DC villains. “I proposed it as three films, with ‘Joker’ being the first one directed by me and then another two with two other directors,” said Phillips in 2019. At the time Warner Bros. rejected the idea, but it is clear that after the success of the film , which raised 1,074 million dollars worldwide from a “paltry” budget of between 55 and 70 million, and was also nominated for eleven Oscars and won two of them, the study must be telling Todd Phillips to do whatever you want.
