It’s become almost commonplace for a studio to release some sort of follow-up to a film that is both a commercial and critical success. And that may be happening with Warner Bros.’ Joker. The film, which was directed by Todd Phillips, starred Joaquin Phoenix in the title role which was an origins story for the Clown Prince of Crime. The film opened to the tune of $96.2 million in its debut weekend, and has passed the monumental $1 billion mark since then. So it’s only natural that WB would want to keep that momentum going.

According to some trades Phillips has met with Warner Bros. about taking on a sequel. But this particular news bit isn’t so straight forward. There is a conflicting report from another trade which says there are no current talks regarding the potential sequel. More on the reports below.

THR says that talks between Phillips and WB execs are now happening. Variety cautions that all the parties involved are still in the very early stages of negotiations. There is currently no deal, not even a story or a script. So even if these talks end up with Phillips directing a sequel, it could be a ways off before any of us got to see it. The studio still has to get through Wonder Woman 1984, Aquaman 2, Black Adam, Birds of Prey, The Suicide Squad, and The Batman. That being said, it would be interesting to see how Phillips might continue the story of the Joker, considering that it was hard to tell which was reality and which was fantasy from Arthur Fleck’s perspective.

Though THR has in their report that Phillips could be gearing up for another DC villain origins story, Variety was quick to shoot that rumor down saying insiders denied that report. But it is an idea worth exploring considering the huge box office success Joker has been for WB.

Speaking of denying reports, Deadline says that all of this is false and that no talks whatsoever are currently happening between Phillips and WB. They say a sequel is likely considering how successful the first was, but nothing is happening right now according to their own insiders.

Joker is only the fourth DC movie to cross the $1 billion milestone, following films like Aquaman, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Dark Knight. But what makes the film’s accomplishment particularly extraordinary is that it was able to do it on a limited production budget of $60 million. That obviously pales in comparison to films like the effects heavy Aquaman from James Wan, or the final two films of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.

Obviously, since the first Joker was such a huge success, Phillips would probably get a bigger budget to work with if he does ultimately make a sequel. But bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. Let’s remind ourselves about how the Hangover trilogy was more or less the same thing over and over again. So hopefully, the Joker sequel can deliver something fresh and new. If there is a sequel.

We’ll keep you posted on any new developments should they come in.

[Source: THR | Variety | Deadline]