Joker was a pop culture sensation in 2019. It grossed over $1 billion and won the Oscar for Best Actor. Warner Bros. was destined to put out a sequel, and the creative braintrust of director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix agreed to come back.
Joker: Folie à Deux is slated for release on October 4. The film is among the most highly anticipated of the year, but the fact that it's a sequel invariably begs the question of more. Will the storyline of the Clown Prince of Gotham extend to a third film? Will Warner Bros. aim to keep their bankable franchise going?
The director will not return for a third film
Well, Todd Phillips doesn't think so. The director talked about the future of the franchise during a recent profile with Variety, and he basically shut the door on a potential third film. When asked if he'd consider returning, Phillips told the outlet that he couldn't envision a natural continuation of the story:
"It was fun to play in this sort of sandbox for two movies, but I think we’ve said what we wanted to say in this world."
Phillips was frank with Variety about the struggles of mounting a second film, and how he was initially hesitant to dive back into a world he felt had been done justice. The only thing that attracted him was the chance to experiment with new genres and styles.
Phillips was hesitant to return for Folie a Deux
"The question became, 'how can we top ourselves?'" the director noted. "And you can only do that if you do something dangerous... The goal of this movie is to make it feel like it was made by crazy people. The inmates are running the asylum."
While Phillips' decision to end the series after two films may disappoint some fans, there is a precedent of the director changing his mind. Deadline said that Phillips did not intend to make a sequel back in 2019, yet here he is, several years later.
It's possible he could concoct an ambitious idea for Joker 3. As it stands though, fans should head into Folie à Deux expecting a conclusion.