Joker sequel Folie à Deux in the works, Todd Phillips confirms

A Joker sequel is officially in the works, with director Todd Phillips revealing the title for the sequel as Joker: Folie à Deux.

Phillips, who directed and co-wrote the first Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, is teaming up again with co-writer Scott Silver on the sequel. Phillips shared the red script cover on his Instagram page alongside a picture of Phoenix reading the script.

While plot details are currently scarce, Folie à Deux is defined as a psychological disorder where the same or similar mental disorder affects two or more people. Given that the Joker character himself is known for having psychologically dependent relationships with characters like Batman and Harley Quinn, the new title seems poignant.

The first Joker movie was released three years ago as a standalone film set outside of any of the main Batman movie timelines. The origin story follows Arthur Fleck, a lonely party clown in Gotham City driven to the brink of his sanity as he undergoes a transformation into the painted villain.

The film was heavily influenced by Martin Scorsese movies like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy.

"As a nightmarish portrait of urban isolation and a gritty comic book origin story, the movie is superbly acted and tensely paced," Hot Press' Roe McDermott wrote in her review at the time. "It also lacks nuance and plays into well-worn tropes. It’s good. It’s not great. But let’s definitely yell about it some more."

"To say that Joaquin Phoenix is mesmerising is to say that Phoenix is in the film, because the actor has never not offered a compelling, complex and committed performance," McDermott said of the veteran actor. "He plays Arthur Fleck, an isolated professional clown with a medical condition that causes him to erupt in unnerving shrieks of laughter. The victim of bullying and some of Gotham’s typically vicious violence, Phoenix portrays Fleck’s fear and discomfort physically, contorting his gaunt face and emaciated frame into forced smiles and meek retreats."

Warner Bros. reportedly signed Phillips to write a sequel, with Phillips explaining that he needed time to think of ideas for another instalment. He previously said he would not return for a sequel unless he could find "some thematic resonance".

Joaquin Phoenix remarked he wasn't aware of any plans for a Joker sequel, but felt that there were more stories they could explore for the character.

Joker was critically acclaimed from its inception, and went on to earn 11 Oscar nominations, taking home awards for Best Actor and Best Original Score.

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