WhenJokerfirst hit theaters in 2019, its director Todd Phillips and its star Joaquin Phoenix repeatedly insisted that it was a standalone piece that wouldn’t lead into any sequels. They conceived the movie to offer audiences a refreshing counterpoint to all the universe-building that other modern comic book movies get bogged down in with a story that stands on its own. But Warner Bros. wants another $1 billion, so a sequel is in development.
Phillipsinitially said, “The movie’s not set up to [have] a sequel. We always pitched it as one movie, and that’s it.” However, he must’ve had a change of heart (or come up with a really cool story idea), because it’s since been reported thathe’s signed a deal to co-write a sequel.
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A sequel toJokerwill inherently ruin the original, because it’ll have to provide definitive answers to all the questions audiences have been pondering for the past two years. The first movie’s ambiguity works so well because it’s unclear how much of the movie actually happened – or if any of it really happened. But to follow it up with a sequel, Phillips will inevitably have to answer these questions.
The decision seems like a no-brainer on the studio’s end.Jokermade $1 billionand there’s a good chance that a potentialJoker 2would make another $1 billion. But creatively, it doesn’t feel necessary. What more can be said about Arthur Fleck and his path to becoming the Joker? Now that he’s inspired a criminal uprising across Gotham City and the Waynes have been killed in the ensuing chaos, the logical next step would be the introduction of Batman. But the whole point of theJokermovie was to move away from his connection to the Bat and focus on his own personal life.
Phillips has previouslyexpressed interestin a spin-off exploring the Batman of theJoker-verse: “It’s a beautiful Gotham… What was interesting to me about the inclusion of Batman in our movie was, ‘What kind of Batman does that Gotham make?’” Making theJokersequel as a standalone Batman neo-noir set in Phillips’ Gotham – which is basically a recreation ofScorsese’s seedy, crime-ridden New York– would certainly avoid the risk of rehashing the original movie. But apart from taking place in theJokermovie’s slightly alternate Gotham, this wouldn’t be much of a sequel toJokerand would instead feel like a Batman reboot, which are already ten a penny.
To tie a Batman-centricJokersequel closer to the Joker himself, Arthur Fleck could reappear as a much older criminal leader running Gotham’s underworld. A Bruce Wayne whose parents were murdered by Joker fanatics and who was harassed by the Clown Prince of Crime himself as a young boy would certainly make a unique Caped Crusader, and one with an even closer connection to the Joker than usual.
Ultimately, though, this would be a Batman movie as opposed to aJokermovie and we don’t need another Batman movie. Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck’s Batmen are both coming back inThe Flashand Robert Pattinson is about to makehis long-awaited debut as Bruce Waynein Matt Reeves’The Batman. The last thing the DCEU needs right now is yet another Batman, especially when there are so many beloved DC heroes whostill need a solo movie, like Batgirl and Nightwing.
If aJokersequel is inevitable, it might as well be a proper sequel that builds onthe story of Arthur Fleck. The first movie notably borrowed most of its characterization, plot points, and overall aesthetic from the Martin Scorsese masterpiecesTaxi DriverandThe King of Comedy. Since the first movie ended with Arthurlocked in Arkham Asylum, the second movie could build on that setup by borrowing from another ‘70s classic: Miloš Forman’sOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Cuckoo’s Neststars Jack Nicholson as Randle McMurphy, a convict who pleads insanity and gets sent to a psychiatric hospital ruled with an iron fist by the cruel, heartless Nurse Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher. Ratched is one of the most sinister and terrifying villains in movie history, and McMurphy embodies the anti-establishment tone of post-Watergate ‘70s cinema as he inspires his fellow patients to revolt against her. The Joker rallying his fellow inmates against a sadistic warden at Arkham could make for a delightfully dark thriller.
It’s unclear what theJokersequel will entail. The fact that Phillips has taken two years to start working on a follow-up script suggests that he’s not sequelizingJokerfor the sake of it and has waited until he has a strong enough idea for the story. Still, Phillips’ track record with sequels –The Hangover Parts IIandIII– leaves a lot to be desired, so take theJokersequel news with a pinch of salt.
