JOKER Director Todd Philips Is Now Open To A Sequel, But Only If It Has "Thematic Resonance"

Director Todd Philips has previously seemed a little resistant to the idea of helming a sequel to Joker, but when a movie approaches $1 billion at the worldwide box office, tunes tend to be changed!

By MarkCassidy - Nov 14, 2019 07:11 PM EST

Filed Under: Joker

Joker is expected to reach $1 billion at the global box office by the end of the week (maybe even later tonight), and while a sequel has yet to be announced, you have to believe Warner Bros. is at least strongly considering it.

A studio wanting to capitalize on a movie's success is nothing new, of course, but the individuals more closely involved with the creative side of things do tend to take a bit more convincing. Director Todd Philips has been dismissive of the idea of returning to helm a follow-up in previous interviews, but he now seems more open to the prospect.

While speaking to The LA Times, Philips revealed that he wouldn't be opposed to a sequel... under certain conditions.

“It couldn’t just be this wild and crazy movie about the ‘Clown Prince of Crime,’ ” he said. “It would have to have some thematic resonance in a similar way that this does. Because I think that’s ultimately why the movie connected, it’s what’s going on underneath. So many movies are about the spark, and this is about the powder. If you could capture that again in a real way, that would be interesting.”

Star Joaquin Phoenix recently expressed similar sentiments about a potential continuation of Arthur Fleck's story, so it sounds like the right script would entice them to return. Something tells us that wouldn't include a face-off with the new Batman, however.

What do you guys make of Philips' comments? Let us know in the usual place, and if you want a recap of Joker, check out our spoiler breakdown below.

Simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!

Meet Arthur Fleck

Image result for joker movie arthur fleck

We are introduced to Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) almost immediately, and it's clear from the start that this guy has some serious issues.

Arthur suffers from an unspecified mental illness, along with a condition that forces him to burst into fits of laughter in stressful situations. Living and caring for his mother (Frances Conroy), he gets by on medication, weekly therapy sessions and focusing on his job as a street clown. But a violent assault from a gang of kids that steal his sign kicks off a series of events that will take Arthur down a very dark path.

The Neighbor Who Wasn't There

Image result for joker movie zazie beetz

Arthur meets a sympathetic single mother named Sophie Dummond (Zazie Beetz) who lives in his apartment building. The two seem to hit it off and actually embark on a romantic relationship, but something about it always seems a bit off (she's fine with him stalking her for a start), and we eventually find out why.

We're jumping ahead here, but towards the end it's revealed that Arthur was actually imagining all of his dates with Sophie and embracing the delusion of companionship. This is fully confirmed when he walks into her apartment and she reacts with fear, barely recalling his name.

One Bad Day...

Okay, so it's a lot more than one bad day in Arthur's case, but a certain series of events in close succession do ultimately tip him over the edge.

A seemingly altruistic clown colleague gives Fleck a gun when he hears about the assault, but when it falls out of his pocked during a visit to a children's hospital, Arthur is fired.

His boss also tells him that the same workmate that gave him the gun denied all knowledge, and actually said Arthur tried to sell it to him.

The First Kills

On the way home on the subway, Arthur is mocked and assaulted by three wall-street jocks who had been hassling a woman on the seat across from them. When Fleck begins to laugh uncontrollably, they target him.

Not a good idea, boys.

Arthur guns two of them down and chases the third outside where he mercilessly executes him on the steps to the street above. Afterwards, we're treated to a haunting scene of Arthur dancing slowly in the bathroom, preparing to fully embrace a whole new persona.

Thomas Wayne

Arthur's mother is obsessed with Mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne, who used to employ her. She writes him multiple letters, none of which are ever responded to.

After the subway murders, Arthur decides to read her latest letter and discovers that Wayne is actually his real father. Upon confronting his mother about it, he decides to go to Wayne Manor and winds up running into a young Bruce Wayne.

The future Batman seems unimpressed with Arthur's magic tricks, and a butler-type (could be Alfred, but seems unlikely) steps in. He tells Fleck that his mother is crazy and gets a near-throttling for his trouble.

"You Think This Is Funny?"

Image result for joker thomas wayne punch

Arthur decides to get answers from Wayne (Brett Cullen) himself, and poses as a bellboy (a little nod to his comic book counterpart's penchant for disguises, perhaps?) at the opera in order to confront him in the bathroom.

Things do not go well, as the ruthless Wayne denies being Fleck's father and reveals that he never even slept with his former employee, who spent time in Arkham Psychiatric Hospital back when he knew her. When Arthur begins to laugh maniacally and grows angry, Wayne punches him and returns to his seat.

Disturbing Revelations

Still not convinced, Arthur goes to Arkham to check his mother's records. The orderly (Brian Tyree Henry) tells him that he can't reveal any details, so Arthur steals the file and uncovers the shocking truth.

The mentally ill woman Arthur believed to be his mother actually adopted him, and a police report reveals that she allowed one of her boyfriends to sexually abuse him as a child.

Arthur then suffocates Penny Fleck with a pillow, telling her that he now views his life as a comedy.

Scissors

A representative for popular talk-show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) calls Arthur and asks him to come on the show to discuss a video of his excruciating stand-up act that Murray mocked earlier in the movie.

As Fleck prepares by putting on his makeup and holding a gun to his head, two former colleagues - one of whom gave him the gun drop by to make sure Arthur never said anything to the police. Arthur erupts in violence, brutally stabbing the bigger man to death with a scissors.

He shows a glimmer of humanity and allows the other to live, telling him he was "the only one who was ever nice."

Joker

Arthur arrives for his Murray Franklin appearance, asking the host to introduce him as Joker. He begins by telling a few off color jokes before admitting that he killed the men on the subway. Franklin soon realizes he's not joking, but continues to antagonize his clearly unstable guest.

Although it initially seemed as if Arthur intended to kill himself live on air, he decides to tell one final joke ("What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a society that abandons him and treats him like trash? I'll tell you what you get. You get what you [frick]ing deserve!") and shoots Murray instead.

Put On A Happy Face

Inspired by Fleck's actions and Wayne referring to Gotham's underprivileged as "clowns," a large number of Gotham citizens stage violent riots across the city. As Arthur is being taken to prison, an ambulance crashes into the side of the car and a pair of mask-wearing rioters free him from the back.

Arthur dances on the bonnet of the car while the city erupts in chaos around him. As he paints a smile on his face using his own blood, we see Thomas and Martha Wayne being gunned down in an alley in front of their son, Bruce.

"You Wouldn't Get It"

There's no post-credits scene, but we do get an epilogue of sorts which finds Joker at a therapy session in Arkham.

As he begins to laugh we briefly cut to Bruce Wayne standing in shock as his parents lay dead at his feet.

The therapist asks Fleck what he find so funny, and he tells her he thought of a joke, but she wouldn't get it. We then see Arthur leaving the room in slow-motion, leaving bloody footprints. This clearly implies that he murdered his therapist, fully giving himself over to the the monstrous Joker persona.

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132 Comments

1 2 3 4

Spidey91 - 11/14/2019, 7:13 PM

"So many movies are about the spark, and this is about the powder"

jarcastanon - 11/14/2019, 7:22 PM

@Spidey91 - Best gif ever .

jarcastanon - 11/14/2019, 7:28 PM

@Spidey91 - Todd Phillips can be really pretentious, guess he forgot the classy jokes he wrote for the Hangover Trilogy.

JonAwesome - 11/14/2019, 7:55 PM

@jarcastanon - that’s exactly why I don’t want him to make a sequel! Hangover was a classic comedy but the sequels were just garbage!

DoctorDoomSayer - 11/15/2019, 3:38 AM

@jarcastanon - as long as everyone involved puts as much heart into the sequel as they did this one it will be another hit.

mastakilla39 - 11/15/2019, 4:53 AM

@DoctorDoomSayer - I dont think so. The ending leaves the film open to interpretation so it has more impact. Making the sequel will require them to confirm certain events which should never happen.

Its like trying to make a sequel to inception. Its a terrible idea.

Stevsey - 11/14/2019, 7:20 PM

Maybe it will be an actual Joker movie this time.

dracula - 11/14/2019, 7:23 PM

@Stevsey - Could work, maybe a Natural Born Killers or Bonnie and Clyde type movie

Darkknight2149 - 11/14/2019, 8:21 PM

@Stevsey -
I mean, Todd Phillips flat out stated "This isn't a movie about the Joker, it's a movie about the man who becomes the Joker" before it was even released. That's why the Joker is only in the final scene in the movie.

What did you expect? We knew beforehand that it would be about Arthur Fleck's slow downward spiral, going from an innocent victim, to a revenge-driven madman, to a sadistic murderer at the very end.

Stevsey - 11/14/2019, 9:39 PM

@Darkknight2149 - they should have titled it Arthur then.

Darkknight2149 - 11/14/2019, 9:57 PM

@Stevsey -
It's a Joker origin film. So it's called Joker.

DaHyro - 11/14/2019, 10:00 PM

@Stevsey - Batman ‘89 was not a very good adaptation of Batman. I guess it should have been called Bruce, right?

Darkknight2149 - 11/14/2019, 10:06 PM

It was intended to be a character study about how the Joker became the Joker, in a similar vein to Taxi Driver, Fight Club, American Psycho, ETC. It wasn't supposed to be a traditional comic book movie.

If you want a Scorsese-inspired character study about an existing Joker, I would recommend the graphic novel Joker by Brian Azzarello. It's about the Joker being released from Arkham Asylum and taking back his criminal empire, told through the eyes of his righthand man. I think it's a lot closer to what you are looking for.

Darkknight2149 - 11/14/2019, 10:24 PM

@Stevsey

m1doriya - 11/15/2019, 1:50 AM

@Stevsey - It is.

ElJefe - 11/15/2019, 2:56 AM

@Darkknight2149 - “slow downward spiral”

Arthur’s sign gets stolen
He gets beat up
He gets beat up
He shoots two people on the subway

DoubleD - 11/14/2019, 7:29 PM

Joker needs a sequel ended in a cliff hanger.

n1ghtw1ng2832 - 11/14/2019, 7:40 PM

I hope I don't offend anyone with this comment, but this movie really did suck. It is a huge slap in the face to the character and to any fan of the source material.

Cbmfilmjunkie - 11/14/2019, 7:42 PM

@n1ghtw1ng2832 - Which source material?

m1doriya - 11/15/2019, 1:54 AM

@n1ghtw1ng2832 - Stay mad

1 2 3 4

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JOKER Director Todd Philips Is Now Open To A Sequel, But Only If It Has "Thematic Resonance"

Director Todd Philips has previously seemed a little resistant to the idea of helming a sequel to Joker, but when a movie approaches $1 billion at the worldwide box office, tunes tend to be changed!

Meet Arthur Fleck

The Neighbor Who Wasn't There

One Bad Day...

The First Kills

Thomas Wayne

"You Think This Is Funny?"

Disturbing Revelations

Scissors

Joker

Put On A Happy Face

"You Wouldn't Get It"

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JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX Director Todd Phillips On Casting Lady Gaga As Harley Quinn & Sequel's Musical Elements

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