It’s pretty safe to assume that we won’t be getting a third movie in the Joker series. With the critical response and the box office results for Joker: Folie à Deux, a third Joker movie doesn’t seem likely. But that doesn’t mean that it will be the last time we see a live action version of The Joker on the big screen. As the most popular villain of one of the most popular superheroes, the Joker will be back before too long. But when?
Obviously, we don’t know that yet. But we can make some educated guesses. Here are the possible next appearances of the character of The Joker from least to most likely.
Harley Quinn Spinoff
One of the few things that was praised in the reviews of Joker: Folie à Deux, was the performance of Lady Gaga. While there will likely be no more movies set in this series after the response to the latest Joker movie, if they were to try and continue the story, they could focus the next movie around Lady Gaga’s version of Harley Quinn.
While a spinoff movie wouldn’t necessarily feature the Joker, it’s possible that the character could appear in a dream sequence (or musical number) outside of the reality of the movie. However, while technically possible, the chances of an actual Harley Quinn movie at this point are very slim so this goes in the least likely slot on the list.
Brand New Joker movie
It’s possible that Warner Bros. will look at the respective success and failure of the two Joker movies and decide that while this current version of the Joker doesn’t work with audiences a standalone Joker movie is still a good idea. We’ve seen plenty of superheroes rebooted with new backstories and new actors, so it wouldn’t be too crazy to see the same thing happen with a villain.
While Joker: Folie à Deux will go down as one of the biggest box office disasters in recent memory, remember, the first movie is still only one of two rated R movies to ever make a billion dollars (the second one being Deadpool and Wolverine). With that kind of success, it’s easy to see why Warner Bros. might be willing to try again with a new Joker and hope that the IP itself can still bring in the money.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
The first Batman story in James Gunn’s new version of the DC universe is currently set to begin filming some time in 2025. So far all we know about the movie is that Damien Wayne is going to be Robin, and that the movie will introduce other members of the Bat Family.
With the movie already setting up an established Batman, it’s possible that the Joker will be featured in the story as well, Even if the Joker isn’t the primary villain of the story, we could get a small reference to the character to help show that this is a Batman who has been fighting crime for a while by the time the movie starts.
The Batman Part II
If we’re going to get a Joker appearance in the next few years, this is the most likely chance. The Joker was very briefly scene at the end of The Batman talking to The Riddler. There was even a deleted scene from the movie featuring Batman talking to an imprisoned Joker implying that the two of them had already faced off before the events of the movie.
It seems clear that Matt Reeves is interested in exploring the Joker as part of his Batman stories which makes The Batman Part II the most likely movie to feature a live action Joker in some capacity.