The first Joker movie ended with a confusing scene that allowed audiences to determine whether they believed what happened was real or just one man’s fantasy.
The ending was a great, and the critical praise and box office success has Warner Bros. wanting more.
A Joker sequel is in the works and The Hollywood Reporter revealed that director Todd Phillips is returning to co-write the movie.
Todd Phillips returning to Joker sequel
The news was an aside in an article about Hollywood’s Top 100 attorneys. Scrolling down the list, and Warren Dern is listed as the attorney who represents Todd Phillips.
Here is the write up:
Client Zack Snyder is back in action with his Justice League cut on HBO Max and the Netflix zombie flick Army of the Dead.
Todd Phillips struck a deal to co-write the next Joker installment, while Amy Poehler is booming in the DIY space with Making It and planned spinoff Backing It.
Paul Feig is directing the star-packed School for Good and Evil at Netflix, while J.A. Bayona has begun shooting Amazon’s high-profile Lord of the Rings series.
Those are some pretty major properties, from Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Joker to Lord of the Ring.
The interesting thing here is that the Todd Phillips news is relatively new.
Back in 2019, Deadline reported that a previous THR report about Todd Phillips returning for Joker 2 was jumping to conclusions. In this case, it seems the news hinges on the attorney who makes the deals, so it is now certain that Phillips is at least co-writing the movie.
Whether he returns to direct the movie is another story.
What to expect for Joker 2
There are several directions a Joker sequel could go.
The second movie could bring back Joaquin Phoenix, who won an Oscar for the $1 billion-grossing movie. He could end up as the real Joker and move on to his life of crime.
There is also a chance a new Joker could show up.
In the DC Comics series, Three Jokers, there was more than one Joker in history, with three playing different roles throughout history. This explained why there was the serious Joker (The Criminal), the goofy Joker (The Clown), and the more deranged psychopath (The Comedian).
By the end of that series, there was only one remaning.
There is also the chance a brand-new original story could play out, playing with the idea that Joker always lied about who he was, as seen in The Dark Knight.
Whatever happens, it is almost assured the Joker sequel is coming because of how financially successful the first movie was.