‘Joker 2’: What We Know about the Confirmed Sequel

Director Todd Phillips has confirmed that they are officially working on a "Joker" sequel. He shared photos of star Joaquin Phoenix flipping through the pages of the new script on Instagram, and we have compiled all you need to know about the sequel.

In 2019, Todd Phillips provided the world with a new origin story for Batman's most ruthless villain, the Joker. Despite the controversies the movie caused, it was a record-setting box office success.

Even though an immediate sequel made commercial sense for Warner Bros., the studio and Todd Phillips never confirmed the rumors of a sequel until 2022, when the director shared the news on social media.

Phillips confirmed the "Joker" sequel after taking to his Instagram to post a series of images. The Instagram post had two slides, with the first slide showing a picture of the finished script bound with a red cover.

The second image revealed a shot of the Oscar-winning franchise star, Phoenix, who played Arthur Fleck, an ambitious stand-up comedian with mental health issues who goes on a downward spiral, giving birth to the iconic Joker.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE "JOKER" SEQUEL?

While the director has not divulged any sequel plots, the script cover lists the writers as Scott Silver and Phillips, who both wrote the first installment.

The writers finished the final script on May 18, 2022, and the sequel will star Phoenix, who will reprise his role as Arthur Fleck, the infamous DC villain, Joker.

WHAT WE MAY SEE IN "JOKER" 2?

While no one knows what the "Joker" 2 plot will deliver to fans, the script's title, "Joker: Folie à Deux," offers intriguing implications. When translated literally, "Folie à Deux" means "shared madness."

It is a layman's term for shared delusional disorder. The psychological term refers to a similar or identical mental condition that affects two or more people, usually members of a close family.

Based on the plot of the previous film and the possibility that Thomas Wayne is the birth father of the Joker, it is entirely likely that this film will introduce Batman and connect him to the Joker via the Folie à Deux concept, implying a connection that is more than familial.

In the first Phillips installment, Fleck discovered that his mother was delusional and that she was sending letters to Thomas, who might be his father.

However, there are possibilities that his mother may have also made the whole thing up, but she also has a photo that Thomas affectionately signed, leaving room for an element of truth.

HOW "JOKER" 2 AND BATMAN MIGHT BE RELATED?

The Joker sequel by Phoenix has been deemed unnecessary by some fans as they draw the relationship between Batman and Joker.

For example, Thomas Wayne's role in Arthur Fleck's birth in "Joker" and the Waynes' mysterious death in "The Batman" is vital to their respective tales and impossible to reconcile.

Fans feel that both "Joker" and "The Batman" are unconcerned about interconnectivity. However, "The Batman" lays the groundwork for future spinoffs and sequels that explore the evolution of the characters presented in the first film.