As Joker: Folie a Deux approaches its release date, director Todd Phillips shows uncertainty about a possible third part in the franchise. While he says that he is open to the idea of another movie, he adds that for now there are no plans or ideas.
In 2019, Todd Phillips’ Joker brought to screen a new version of the iconic DC villain with Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. Joker was a massive commercial and box office event and won two Academy Awards, one for Best Actor and another for Best Original Score. Although Phillips was not originally planning to make a sequel, it was announced in 2021 that a sequel was in development with Lady Gaga joining the cast as Joker’s love interest.
Now, as Phillips, Lady Gaga, and Joaquin Phoenix prepare for the release of Folie a Deux, Phillips has revealed that he is ready to move on from the character and does not anticipate making a third movie. In an interview with Variety Phillips stated, “It was fine to play in this sort of sandbox for two movies… But I think we’ve said what we wanted to say in this world.”
In the same interview alongside Phoenix and Gaga, Phillips discussed the film’s musical elements stating that post the Joker‘s success, “the question became, “how we can top ourselves?” And you can only do that if you do something dangerous. But there were days on set where you’d look around and think, ‘Holy fucking shit! What did we do?”
Lady Gaga added, “Todd took a very big swing with this whole concept and with the script, giving the sequel to ‘Joker’ this audacity and complexity.” She continued, “There’s music, there’s dance, it’s a drama, it’s also a courtroom drama, it’s a comedy, it’s happy, it’s sad. It’s a testament to [Todd] as a director, that he would rather be creative than just tell a traditional story of love.”
What can we expect for Joker: Folie a Deux?
The film is set approximately 2 years after Joker/Arthur Fleck murdered television presenter Murray Frank on live television. Now, a patient at Arkham State Hospital, Fleck falls in love with his music therapist Harleen Quinzel. At first, Quinzel is curious about her new patient but soon her curiosity turns into an obsession and she forms a deep romantic relationship with Fleck. In the meantime, Fleck’s supporters on the outside are starting a movement to free him from the hospital.
When will Joker: Folie a Deux hit the theatres?
Joker: Folie a Deux is set to have its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 4th September followed by a nationwide release in the United States on 4th October. Warner Brothers announced that the film is expected to be released overseas by 2nd October, two days prior to its domestic premiere. In India, Joker: Folie a Deux will be released by 4th October.
