To all the folks who thought they would never make a sequel to Joker: Joke’s on you.
Although there’s no definitive word from Warner Bros, Joker’s director Todd Phillips all but confirmed the sequel is happening on his Instagram account. Phillips posted a copy of the movie’s script — which bears the title Joker: Folie à Deux — written by himself and Scott Silver. In the same post, Phillips also shared a photo of Joker star Joaquin Phoenix reading the script while smoking a cigarette.
The sequel’s script is dated May 18, 2022. Co-write Scott Silver also collaborated with Phillips on the screenplay for the first Joker. The title translates to “Madness For Two.” Phillips didn’t include a caption with the Instagram post.
Word leaked that Phillips was working on a script for a potential Joker sequel just over a year ago, although the filmmaker had indicated his interest in a potential follow-up soon after Joker opened in theaters in 2019 and became an immediate smash success. While Phoenix would seem like a tough sell for any sequel — he almost never makes them — he also expressed his willingness to reprise his role as DC’s Clown Prince of Crime last year, saying in an interview “there are some things we could do with this guy and could [explore] further.”
The first movie, an alternate origin story for Batman’s most famous villain, grossed an astounding $1 billion worldwide, and wound up winning Academy Awards for Phoenix and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. The subtitle of this sequel is sure to fuel speculation that this movie will see Phoenix’s Joker squaring off with Batman. But which Batman? Could it be Robert Pattinson’s? Or will Joker continue with its own alternate DC timeline and introduce its own version of the Dark Knight to go with its extremely dark version of the Joker? Those questions will surely fuel a lot of interest in this movie moving forward. One thing’s for sure: Phillips’ Instagram post is definitely not a joke.
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