Though much remains mysterious about the nature of the project at this point, it seems Warner Bros. still intends to make ‘Joker 2’. Director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix have been pretty quiet on that front over the last year or so following the first movie's big night at the Oscars in 2020, with Phoenix taking home Best Actor for his work as the iconic comic book villain. But now we have word that the studio is still pursuing a follow-up to the R-rated DC adaptation.
Recently, a report detailed Warner Bros.' upcoming ‘Superman reboot’, which will feature a Black version of the superhero. J.J. Abrams is producing the movie with Ta-Nehisi Coates penning the screenplay.
The piece went on to detail other elements of what the studio has planned with DC Films moving forward, including the expanding DC multiverse, which will kick off in ‘The Flash’ movie. Though it was noted that projects such as ‘The Batman’ and ‘Joker’ will still exist as standalones and will not be part of the multiverse. The report then mentioned "Joker and its planned sequel."
Unfortunately, no further details were provided. It was originally reported in November 2019, as Joker was in the middle of its unexpectedly massive run at the box office that a sequel was in development. Though the brakes were pumped shortly thereafter. While talks had taken place, no contracts had been signed.
There were also rumors floating around that Warner Bros. was hoping to sway Joaquin Phoenix to return for not one but two sequels, and was looking to pay him a mountain of cash to do so. Again, nothing official has been revealed from Todd Phillips or Phoenix.
Aside from dealing with the logistics, making ‘Joker 2’ is a no-brainer from the business side of things. Joker, controversial and divisive though it may have been, earned a staggering $1.07 billion at the global box office. It shattered expectations and became the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history. It also earned several Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture.
Aside from Joaquin Phoenix winning Best Actor, the movie also won in the Best Original Score category. All of this to say, in the current Hollywood landscape, a sequel is all but guaranteed. Or, at the very least, the studio will do what they can to persuade Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix to return. -Screen Rant
