Joker 2: Joaquin Phoenix Reacts to Sequel Rumors

While Warner Bros. continues to put countless resources into building and expanding the DC Extended Universe, the comic company's presence goes further than this franchise in the film world. 

One of the most famous examples of this was Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips' Joker, which came in as an unexpected hit financially and critically at the end of 2019.

In a year with three different billion-dollar box office returns from the MCU, Joker made its own impact by crossing the same financial threshold and becoming the third-highest-grossing DC movie ever released. Additionally, it became a critical darling by earning 11 Academy Award nominations and winning two of them for Best Actor and Best Original Score.

With the success of Joker and with so many accomplishments under Phoenix's belt, rumors of a sequel started stirring almost instantly. Warner Bros. quickly looked to the future with the possibility of making a second Joker and expanding on Arthur Fleck's solo adventure.

However, two full years after the original movie was released to rave reviews, its star remains in the dark on what the future actually holds for the Clown Prince of Crime.

Joaquin Phoenix Knows Nothing About Joker 2

DC

Speaking with The Playlist, Joaquin Phoenix explored the possibility of making a sequel to the 2019 critical hit movie Joker.

When asked if he has any knowledge on the progress made towards a sequel, Phoenix admitted that there are parts of the character that he would love to explore further if he was ever given the chance. However, he is being kept in the dark on whether the movie will actually be made:

“I mean, I dunno. From when we were shooting, we started to —you know, uhh, this is an interesting guy. There are some things we could do with this guy and could [explore] further. But as to whether we actually will? I don’t know.”

When Phoenix was reminded of how long it took him to take the role in the first place, he could only respond with by asking, "what do you mean?"

After the interviewer suggested that Phoenix was rather reticent to take on this kind of role, the actor simply smiled and sarcastically asked, "What kind of thing? Interesting character, interesting movie?" 

The Door Remains Open for Joker 2

After winning his first Oscar award for Best Actor, it's clear that Joaquin Phoenix has fully embraced his role as the Joker in this movie set completely outside of the DCEU. With so many accolades under his belt, it doesn't seem to be too big of a shock that he's open to exploring the villain more in future projects. 

The biggest question that remains now is if and when that second movie will end up going into production.

Director Todd Phillips reportedly already agreed to a deal to produce, write, and direct a potential sequel to Joker, although the movie hasn't officially been announced yet by Warner Bros.

The hope is that it will only be a matter of time until this rumor becomes a reality, with fans already itching for a new villainous story after the original earned such high praise.