Todd Phillips is finished making Joker movies. His 2019 film was a massive hit both critically and at the box office, earning over $1B and star Joaquin Phoenix the Oscar for Best Actor. It was a surprise when Phillips revealed the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, would be a musical. But now it makes more sense when looked at as a swan song.
In an interesting piece for Variety, Phillips talked about the origin of Joker: Folie à Deux, an idea that apparently sprang from a dream Phoenix had of his character Arthur Fleck performing a song and dance number on stage. Phillips also said that he thinks it’s time to move on from their corner of the DC Universe…
“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,” he says.
Phillips got his start making successful R-rated comedies, and expressed a desire to make people laugh again, possibly with Phoenix joining him. It’s worth noting that Joker was the most successful R-rated movie ever until Deadpool & Wolverine came along. But now with Joker: Folie à Deux set to have its world premiere at Venice before hitting theaters on October 4th, one has to wonder if Phillips will stick to his guns if this one is another blockbuster?
