It seemed rather obvious that both Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix would be involved in the Joker sequel, and now we've got our first glimpse of what that might turn out to be. We also have potential proof of what the name of the sequel will be.
Phillips released a picture of a physical copy of what appears to be a script for the upcoming Joker sequel titled Joker: Folie a Deux. On it was the writing credit attributed to both Phillips and Scott Silver with what appears to be the day the script was finished in the bottom left corner: May 18, 2022.
Shared on Phillips' official Instagram page, the photo of the script was accompanied by another of Phoenix reading what looks to be the script itself while smoking a cigarette. "Folie a deux" is the French translation of "madness for two," which is also a psychiatric syndrome where two or more people share the same delusion. Given that this would be a sequel to Joker, that would imply that there will be others who share the same issues as the titular character. It sounds as though we might get more Batman antagonists in the Joker sequel, with the most likely candidate being Harley Quinn given her toxic relationship with the Joker.
Phillips delved mostly into comedy before Joker, so for all we know, this is a practical joke, no pun intended. However, given all the rumors that have been popping up left and right in recent weeks, this feels like appropriate timing to let fans know that they have begun work on the next film. Better yet, this is confirmation that the main ingredients of what made the film work as well as it did - Phillips and Phoenix - are back too.
Now the real question is, where do they go from here? Remember, Phillips' main inspiration for Joker was from the Martin Scorcese filmsTaxi Driver and King of Comedy, and it definitely shows in the movie. Will Phillips take inspiration from another classic movie or two, like say, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or Clockwork Orange? Or does Phillips do his own take on what the Joker does next? Part of Joker's appeal was that he wasn't a reliable narrator, so if he goes down that road again, that makes for so many possibilities.
Joker was a passion project for Phillips, so maybe the reason why a sequel for the movie is taking this long - besides society being in a pandemic that felt like it had lasted forever - is because he wants to prove his first film was not lightning in a bottle. The superhero genre is as popular as it's ever been, but it's also growing staler. Joker was so well-received because it brought fresh material to it. If it simply repeats what it already did, that will get the audience to lose interest. Reading between the lines, Phillips wants his Joker films to be more than treadmill action flicks. He wants his audience to remember the films he makes in the genre. Judging by the time it's taking to get this next one off the ground, he'll do just that.
Joker can currently be streamed on HBO Max
Source: Todd Phillips/Instagram