A new report says that Todd Phillips, who directed and co-wrote the original Joker movie, has been brought on officially to co-write Joker 2. The first film, which starred Joaquin Phoenix as the titular DC supervillain, earned widespread critical acclaim and won several major awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Phoenix. The sequel has been highly anticipated by fans since the original’s release.
Co-written by Scott Silver and director Todd Phillips, Joker put a classic Hollywood spin on the villain’s origin story, with clear homages to films like Taxi Driver in particular. The movie took place outside the core DCEU canon, which allowed for drastic differences in tone and style, as well as an R rating. Phoenix’s performance as the Joker has generally been viewed as one of the character’s best portrayals.
According to a report from THR, Phillips will return to pen the script for “the next Joker installment.” It’s unclear whether or not original co-writer Silver will also be coming back for the sequel, but Phillips' return suggests he’ll also likely be directing Joker 2. Warner Bros. has announced a large number of new, relatively independent DC film projects over the past year, and it should be interesting to see how Joker’s unique style fits into those future plans.
Though it was a major critical hit, Joker wasn’t without its controversies. The film’s sympathetic story of a man who turns to violence after feeling ostracized by society was heavily criticized for perpetuating a dangerous message that such violence is justified. In an era when mass shootings and domestic terrorism are frequently in the news, many people were understandably upset at how sympathetic the Joker - traditionally written as a psychopathic character - was portrayed.
Whether or not the sequel decides to deal with those issues remains to be seen. The original film sets up some interesting new connections between Joker and the Wayne family, and that storyline could become even more important in Joker 2. It seems unlikely the film would dive too deep into the DC comics, however, as Joker isn’t narratively connected to any other DCEU films and likely won’t be in the future either. Between Joker 2 and the Robert Pattinson-led, Matt Reeves-directed The Batman releasing in 2022, fans will have plenty of opportunities to return to the cinematic streets of Gotham City.
Source: THR
