Joaquin Phoenix will reprise the Academy Award winning role Joker in the upcoming sequel for 2023.
The Joker secured Joaquin Phoenix’s stature as a critically acclaimed actor.
The movie in turn was well received.
It even generated a worldwide box office of $941 million.
It is no wonder that the idea of a sequel began to float around 2020.
The Joker movie revolves around an aspiring stand-up comedian named Arthur Fleck.
The film depicted the stark contrast between social classes and its effects to mental illness, wherein unfortunate events led to Arthur Fleck’s insanity.
The Joker gave the character background through connecting events and familiar characters in the DC universe.
As the one who pitched the Joker idea to Warner Bros in 2016, Todd Phillips knew the undefined history of Joker can provide creative freedom.
Joaquin Phoenix To Reprise Joker In 2023 Sequel
Phillips says:
I loved that we could take this fictional character and do what we wanted with it. It was one of the most fun scripts to write because you were only breaking rules.
In 2017, Warner Bros revealed the plans for Joker to push forward with Phillips at the helm.
He co-wrote the movie with Scott Silver and co-produced with Martin Scorsese.
With a small budget of $55 million, Joker began filming in 2018 with a release date set for 2019.
Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais, and Shea Whigham, joined Phoenix as cast.
After an 8-minute standing ovation on is premiere at the 76th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2019, the film went on gaining favorable reviews up until the theatrical release on October 4, 2019, in the United States.
Joker went on to setting ticket sales records and the film became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
What do you do with a $55 million movie investment that gained a billion of sales?
Make a sequel.
Joaquin Phoenix To Reprise Joker In 2023 Sequel
Image: DC Films
Even though Joaquin Phoenix initially doubted the sequel from happening, the notion still stuck.
However, current reports confirm the Joker 2 is a go.
In fact, Phillips signed for it as early as last year.
And the crowd is going wild!
Despite the truth about this version of the Joker is not positioned to connect with the upcoming Batman starring Robert Pattinson, fans still cannot help but entertain the idea that the Flash can have something to do with making a connection possible.
Todd Phillips further shares:
It’s not really connected to that [DC Movie] Universe. And it was really intentionally not. I mean the original idea when I went to [Warner Bros.] with the idea was not just about one movie, but about a label – sort of a side label to DC, where you can do these kind of character study, low-rent, low-budget movies, where you get a filmmaker to come in and do some deep dive into a character. So it was never meant to connect, so I don’t see it connecting to anything in the future. I think this is just this movie, you know?
Warner Bros indeed is leaning onto its plan to keep low-budget stand alone films with darker themes.
So far, in terms of the character Joker, it works.
