Update: Turns out there’s no Joker 2 planned after all (or another DC character origin story). Read our follow-up article on Todd Phillips’ response here.
Regardless of how one feels about Todd Phillips’ gritty, Scorsese-inspired take on DC’s most iconic villain, it’s undeniable that Joker has made quite the dent in this year’s cultural conversation. And it looks like it’s paying off. According to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, the director walked into a Warner Bros. meeting wanting to make an entire “portfolio of DC characters’ origin stories,” and came out with the rights to “at least one other story,” plus a deal for a sequel to Joker.
Both Warner Bros. and Phillips’ representative declined to comment for THR‘s article, which cites only unnamed sources, so take the news with a grain of salt. But if it turns out to be the case, then Phillips is “in talks” to return as director, and he and co-writer Scott Silver have already signed on to write the script. It’s unclear at this point if Joaquin Phoenix will reprise his role, but THR reports that the studio has “sequel options in place” for the actor.
This leaves the unspecified DC character whose origin story Phillips will allegedly explore. Following a quick poll of Tor.com HQ, these have emerged as the strongest contenders:
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- Killer Croc
- Calendar Man
- Superman, but the twist is it’s actually Bizarro
- Manbat
- Zatanna
But seriously, we would want Poison Ivy.
