Todd Phillips Reveals Working Title For Joker Sequel, Shares Pic Of Joaquin Phoenix Reading Script
Todd Phillips has confirmed a Joker sequel is in the works.
Phillips, who also made The Hangover trilogy, made the announcement by sharing a black-and-white photograph of Joaquin Phoenix reading a script for the follow-up to their 2019 Oscar-winning blockbuster.
The Instagram photo shows the Oscar-winning actor sitting with a cigarette on a couch, wearing pinstripe trousers, a black T-shirt and sunglasses, while he also shared a picture of the script's red cover with black lettering spelling out Joker: Folie à Deux.
The French phrase ‘Folie à deux’ translates as "shared madness" and is used to describe a delusion shared by two people in close proximity. According to the US National Library of Medicine, the phrase refers to an "identical or similar mental disorder affecting two or more individuals, usually the members of a close family."
Phillips co-wrote the script with Scott Silver, who penned the Eminem film 8 Mile. The two also worked on the first Joker as well.
Joker, released in 2019, follows Phoenix's Arthur Fleck, a mentally disturbed comedian proned to violent outbursts who eventually becomes the Joker, one of the most iconic villains in the DC Universe.
It was a box-office and critical smash, grossing more than US$1 billion (S$1.37 bil) on a budget of $55 million. It was also the first R-rated title to hit the US$1-billion milestone.
It was nominated for 12 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Phillips, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Phillips and Silver. Phoenix won Best Actor and Hidur Guðnadóttir took home Best Original Score.
Phillips and Silver first started developing the Joker sequel shortly after the original film's release.
If the title is any indication, the follow-up will continue explore the original Joker's hemes of mental illness. But in his commentary from the film's home release, Phillips revealed that there was another theme that was overlooked by audiences.
He said, "If I had to drill down on one overarching theme for me, it’s about the power of kindness and a lot of people miss that.
"I think if you don’t see that you either don’t have a soul or you’re being reductive to make up for your own struggles in that area.
"But, really, to me, that’s where it started from and there are other things in the movie like lack of love, the lack of empathy in society, and childhood trauma, but the power of kindness really runs through this film." — BANG SHOWBIZ
Photos: TPG News/Click Photos
