A Joker sequel is still reportedly in the works
A follow-up to the Joaquin Phoenix film is still reportedly happening
Joker 2 is reportedly still in the works.
Tucked away in a recent report from THR, which revealed new details about Warner Bros.' upcoming Superman film, was a tidbit on the Joker follow-up. According to the report, the Clown Prince of Crime's solo movie has a "planned sequel".
This isn't the first time we've heard about a Joker 2. A report from THR broke the news in 2019, claiming a sequel was in the works, but more reports from Deadline and Variety muddied the waters.
Director Todd Phillips himself also said there were no plans in place for a follow-up, but left the door open: "Here's the real truth about a sequel," he said. "While Joaquin [Phoenix] and I have talked about it, and while touring the world with Warner Bros. executives – going to Toronto, and Venice, and other places – of course, we're sitting at dinner and they're saying, 'So, have you thought about…?' But, talking about contracts, there's not a contract for us to even write a sequel, we've never approached Joaquin to be in a sequel. Will that happen? Again, I just think the article was anticipatory at best."
However, prior to this, he flatly denied a second movie would be in the works, after hinting it was a possibility to Total Film: "We have no plan for a sequel."
Joker, released in 2019, was a smash hit, netting over $1 billion at the global box office and scooping 11 Oscar nominations, of which it won two – including Best Actor for Phoenix. A sequel seems to make a lot of sense, then, though the film definitely stands on its own as an origin story for one of pop culture's most iconic supervillains.
Warner Bros. has a massive slate of DC projects reportedly on the way, including the new Superman movie, as well as a Zatanna solo movie penned by Promising Young Woman writer/director Emerald Fennell, Wonder Woman 3, and plenty more. However, New Gods and Aquaman spinoff The Trench were recently canceled by the studio.
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The next DC Comics project to hit our screens will be The Suicide Squad, which releases this August 6. Until then, check out how to watch DC movies in order for the ultimate movie marathon.
I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.