A ‘Joker’ Sequel Could Happen With Joaquin Phoenix

Joker Joaquin Phoenix Batman

While initially proposed as a one-off unrelated to the other efforts of DC Films, the Joker movie from Todd Phillips could potentially get a sequel with Joaquin Phoenix interested.

Designed to be a self-contained, gritty character study with a Batman coat of paint applied to it, Joker does not seem like the kind of movie that was made with franchise potential in mind. Yet while speaking to Total Film, director Todd Phillips is saying that more than one movie is not off the table for Joaquin Phoenix, as the two of them have ideas about where to take the story from October’s DC Films experiment:

“One thing I will tell you: I would do anything with [Joaquin Phoenix], any day of the week. There’s nobody like him. If he was willing to do it, and if people show up to this movie, and Warners came to us and said, ‘You know what? If you guys could think of something…’ Well, I have a feeling that he and I could think of something pretty cool.”

Todd Phillips’ choice of words is interesting, to say the least. Joaquin Phoenix was notably averse to the idea of being in a franchise in spite of his interest in the comic book movie genre, which was a major reason why he turned down an offer from Marvel Studios to portray Doctor Strange. It also played into the reason why he was so interested in Joker -0 the movie could work as a one-and-done kind of thing. But if he’s now changing his tune and is willing to work with Todd Phillips once again, then that not only speaks to his enjoyment of the role, but his confidence in the finished product. Right now, we don’t have Joaquin Phoenix’s word to go off of, but this is something interesting to think about.

With Joker, Warner Bros. is looking to tap into Scorsese classics such as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, with the Joaquin Phoenix film set in a gritty and grounded 1980s Gotham City. Todd Phillips is directing the standalone piece, which is said to be separate from the DC Extended Universe in an effort to create new and unique storylines to expand the canon.

Todd Phillips also wrote the Joker script with Scott Silver, the man behind the 2002 drama film 8 Mile starring Eminem. The project is said to focus on Joaquin Phoenix’s Clown Prince of Crime as a failed 1980s comedian who becomes The Joker after bombing with audiences.

Here is the official synopsis for Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker:

Director Todd Phillips’ Joker centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone fictional story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fractured society. A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study.

Opening in theaters on October 4, 2019, Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, Brett Cullen, Bryan Callen and Robert De Niro. Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for more updates on the Joker movie!

Source: Total Film (via GamesRader)