After Todd Phillips's DC origin story, "Joker", hauled in more than $1 billion at the box office, many publications including The Hollywood Reporter published news about a sequel with the same two men at the helm. However, Phillips confirmed to IndieWire on Thursday that no sequel of "Joker" is in the works.
Phillips told IndieWire: “Here’s the real truth about a sequel. While Joaquin and I have talked about it, and while touring the world with Warner Bros executives — going to Toronto, and Venice, and other places — of course, we’re sitting at dinner and they’re saying, ‘So, have you thought about…?’ But, talking about contracts, there’s not a contract for us to even write a sequel, we’ve never approached Joaquin to be in a sequel. Will that happen? Again, I just think the article was anticipatory at best.”
The Hollywood Reporter (THR) published a news last Wednesday that a "Joker" sequel is in the works, and Phoenix will reprise the role. The article also mentioned that Phillips went to visit Warner Bros (WB) Pictures Group Chairman Toby Emmerich on Oct 7, to get rights for more DC origin stories. The headline of the article had "exclusive" written in parenthesis.
However, the same day Deadline reported that "Joker" sequel is not happening, and Phillips never gave any pitch for "origin film series on other DC characters."
Finally, the rumours were laid to rest when Phillips told IndieWire the next day: "I can honestly say to you there was no meeting that ever happened on Oct 7 where I marched in."
Phillips’ full statement to IndieWire was: "First of all if you know me and my career, that’s not my style. I made a huge comedy at Warner Bros, ‘The Hangover,’ and I didn’t suddenly become a comedy factory producer, like, oh, let’s just churn out movies. Bradley (Cooper) and I have a production company at Warners. I’ve been at Warners for 15, 16 years. We have two things in development at all times, not 40 things like some people. I’m not the kind of guy who goes marching in saying I want these 40 titles. I just don’t have the energy."
Phillips revealed that before "Joker" began production, he pitched making "a series of darker, and more character-focused comic book films" to WB. "When I pitched them ‘Joker,’ it wasn’t a movie, it was, let’s do a whole label.
"They shut that down quickly and I get it. Who am I to walk in and start a label at a film studio? But they said, let’s do this one," Phillips added.
Phillips also said that The Hollywood Reporter writer "jumped the gun." Phillips repeatedly assured IndieWire that there were no deals with WB about a "Joker" sequel, and no script is in development.
"Well, a movie doesn’t make a billion dollars, and they don’t talk about a sequel.
"Joaquin and I have publicly said we’ve been talking about a sequel since week two of shooting because it’s a fun thing to talk about. But the (THR) article was referring to other things than that, that were just frankly untrue. I don’t know how it gets started if it’s some assistant trying to gain street cred with a writer," Phillips added.