A “Joker” Sequel Is Definitely Happening, Unless It’s Not, But It Probably Is

Clowns are super dramatic, we know this. They simply have no chill. When the inevitable Joker sequel comes to pass, Warner Bros. should consider replacing Joaquin Phoenix with Lea Michele, because that’s the kind of energy required. Two different trades, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, are offering two different versions of the same story. Both agree that Joker’s $1 billion windfall all but guarantees a sequel. However, THR says director Todd Phillips and Joaquin are already practicing their creepy clown end zone dances. They also report that Todd had a meeting with Warner Bros. and walked away with new DC origin story under his arm. And Deadline says THR is full of shit and that meeting never even happened. Are you prepared for the Great Clown Wars of 2020? Don’t bother, they’re here.

THR reports:

On Oct. 7, Joker director Todd Phillips headed into Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich’s office, buoyed by the film’s $96.2 million opening-weekend haul. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter he proposed an outsized idea — the rights to develop a portfolio of DC characters’ origin stories.

Emmerich balked. After all, Warner Bros. is very protective of the DC canon. And all other DC deals have been for one film, and one film only. But Phillips did emerge from the meeting with the rights to at least one other DC story, sources say. And now that Joker has crossed the $1 billion mark, a sequel is on the way. As the movie keeps raking in money overseas, Phillips is in talks to reprise his role as director for a second Joker outing (he and Scott Silver, who penned the gritty Joker screenplay, will write the follow-up), THR has learned.

They also report that WB already has sequel options in place for Joaquin to reprise his very round-about campaign to make Jared Leto sad. THR suggests Todd “would be well suited” to tackle an origin story for either Darkseid, “a tyrannical ruler who is worshipped by some as the god of evil,” or Lex Luthor. However, Deadline is calling bullshit.

The Joker sequel news that hit a trade today is great click bait, but multiple inside sources said that while a sequel to the billion-dollar-grossing film is an obvious likely eventuality that makes all the financial sense in the world, at this point there are no deals for a sequel, nor even any negotiations with director Todd Phillips or his co-writer Scott Silver to craft one.

Reporting that the story about the meeting is “flat out false”, they added that “multiple sources said no such October 7 meeting” took place. Then Todd’s “multiple sources” voice distortion device must have imploded.

… Phillips hasn’t even considered overseeing other DC character films. That would be in keeping with Phillips’s track record of being selective: After The Hangover began breaking records for R-rated films, he did not seek to turn his company into a comedy factory.

A comedy factory? In this woke economy? Todd’s no fool. THR says he’s looking to clear $100 million for Joker. If he knows what’s good, he’ll turn his company into a clown car from which Joker sequels spill out with hilarious regularity.

Pic: Wenn.com