Joker 2 is now under production. Todd Phillips, the director of the 2019 psychological thriller Joker, has announced that a sequel is in the works. On Instagram, the filmmaker disclosed that he has already prepared the script for Joker 2, and even displayed a cover of the screenplay with the words 'Joker: Folie à Deux' printed on it.
If you're wondering what Folie à Deux is, it's a French name for a mental disease that affects two or more people. Another image uploaded by Philips shows Joaquin Phoenix, who portrayed the titular anarchist on Joker, reading the screenplay. However, the actor has yet to sign the dotted line, but negotiations are understood to be advanced.
There is no indication on when the Joker sequel will begin production, and it will most likely be some time before we find out because the Joker 2 film has just been teased.
It would also be intriguing to watch how Todd Phillips develops the character, given that he previously stated that he had "no intentions" to make a sequel to Joker, which was intended to be a standalone feature. "The movie isn't set up to [have] a sequel," Phillips told IGN. We always marketed it as a one-film deal."
Joker became the highest-earning R-rated (A rating in India) film of all time, grossing $1.07 billion (about Rs. 1,500 crores) globally at the box office. It garnered overwhelming acclaim for Phoenix's performance, while reviews were divided on how the film handled its issues and content.
In the film, 'Clown Prince of Crime,' as well as composer Hildur Gunadóttir, received Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Original Score, respectively. The Joker was nominated for nine additional Oscars, including Best Picture.
The Joker ensemble also starred Robert De Niro as talk show host Murray Franklin, Zazie Beetz as single mother Sophie Dumond, and Frances Conroy as Fleck's mother Penny Fleck, in addition to Phoenix as failing comic Arthur Fleck, who subsequently acquires the title moniker.
Will Phillips be able to repeat his box office success with Joker 2? We'll find out in the next years.
