What a time to be alive. Somehow, against all odds, we exist in a universe where the famously skittish star Joaquin Phoenix finally joined a comic book movie … not as a superhero like Doctor Strange, as he once came close to nabbing, but as the Clown Prince of Crime himself. And when the R-rated “Joker” debuted in 2019, the blatant Martin Scorsese homage (though some might call it a Martin Scorsese ripoff) rode a wave of hype and controversy to the very top of the box office. If all that weren’t enough, the movie marketing itself almost solely on the fact that it wasn’t your typical DC or Marvel film went and earned itself a buzzy-sounding sequel with Lady Gaga co-starring as a certain Harley Quinn. Who among us could’ve seen any of this coming?
Now, “Joker: Folie à Deux” is set to unleash its particular brand of clownery upon us later this year — but will there be a threequel to look forward to sometime down the road? If director Todd Phillips’ latest comments are anything to go by, maybe we ought to temper our expectations a bit. In a lengthy profile over at Variety, the filmmaker poured some cold water on the idea of Phoenix returning to put on the clown makeup one more time. As it turns out, accidentally inciting a social uprising in Gotham City and then mixing it up with his gal pal Harley in a musical-inspired sequel is quite enough. According to Phillips:
“It was fun to play in this sort of sandbox for two movies, but I think we’ve said what we wanted to say in this world.”
But while this might mark the finale of this standalone “Joker” franchise, don’t expect the Phillips/Phoenix partnership to end anytime soon.
Todd Phillips wants to tackle a Joaquin Phoenix comedy next
Remember when Panic! At The Disco famously sang about writing sins, not tragedies? Well, Todd Phillips is preparing to leave the slow-motion tragedy storytelling of “Joker” behind and is looking ahead to the greener grass of comedies. Once “Joker: Folie à Deux” debuts this fall and (probably) lights the box office on fire once again, the pressure will be on for him and Joaquin Phoenix to go ahead and begin planning for yet another sequel. Instead, Phillips and Phoenix might very well take their talents in a very different direction altogether. In the same Variety profile, Phillips went on to call his shot and tease that he’d love to work with his A-list lead actor again in a fresh and unexpected genre. As he explained:
“I’d love to keep working with Joaquin but on a comedy, because he can be so loose and funny. And I think people really want comedies right now. The trailer for ‘Joker 2’ sort of sums things up when it says, ‘What the world needs now is love.’ But I would go farther: We could use a good laugh too.”
Going from a gritty crime drama to a sequel with musical elements to an all-out comedy? What will these guys think of next?? In all seriousness, Phillips obviously has the comedy background working in his favor after having cut his teeth on 2004’s “Starsky & Hutch,” the “Hangover” trilogy, and more. Phoenix, meanwhile, might strike most audiences as a serious, dramatic type … to which I’d ask them if they watched him in Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” when he flawlessly delivered the line, “You think you’re so great because you have boats!”
“Joker: Folie à Deux” hits theaters October 4, 2024.