Phillips and Phoenix started thinking about ideas for a sequel even before they finished making the first movie.
A sequel to the 2019 movie “Joker” wasn’t certain until it made over $1 billion at the box office. However, director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix were already planning the next movie before they finished the first one. “Joker: Folie à Deux” will premiere at the Venice Film Festival and come out this October. Phillips and Phoenix return and Lady Gaga joins as Harley Quinn. This time, the movie will be a musical. In a recent interview with Empire, Phillips and Phoenix shared why they chose this unusual choice and discussed other ideas they considered.
“Joaquin and I talked about a sequel the whole time we were making the first movie because we love the character,” said Phillips. “We were obsessed with Arthur. We’d joke, saying, ‘Oh, we should take Arthur and do this with him.'”
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Phoenix was interested in seeing how Arthur would react in different situations, including singing. Like with the first movie, the Oscar-winning actor found inspiration in old classic movies.
“I was curious about exploring the character further,” said Phoenix. “It seemed like you could put him in any situation, and I’d want to see how he’d handle it. I made posters of movies like ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and ‘Godfather,’ but with Joker in them, and I gave them to Todd.”
Some ideas for where to take Joker were serious, while others were more outlandish. Talking to Empire, Phoenix said,
“We had a running joke about ‘What if Joker went to space?’ But I was really interested in seeing where he would end up.”
Even though they’re excited about making Joker the star of a musical, Phillips isn’t sure how audiences will react. He explained that this uncertainty is part of what makes the idea so interesting.
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“This isn’t an easy sequel,” Phillips said. “And that’s what makes it really exciting for us.”
“Joker: Folie à Deux” will first show at the Venice Film Festival and then come out everywhere in October. Before then, you can watch all the Joker movies in order and keep an eye out for more exciting news about the upcoming film.
Source: Inidewire