Despite all the talk about Joker being a one-off, a sequel is now apparently in the works after the first movie proved such a box office hit.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Todd Phillips is in talks to return as director for the sequel and he will write the script with Scott Silver, who worked on the first movie's screenplay.

Warner Bros is said to already have a sequel option in place for Joaquin Phoenix, so we can expect him to return as Arthur Fleck, AKA Joker. The studio and Phillips' representatives declined to comment on the sequel reports.

Niko Tavernise Warner Bros.

It's believed that Phillips originally pitched an idea to Warner Bros Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich to develop a range of DC characters' origin stories. That idea was turned down, but it's said that he does have the right to make one other DC story too.

To add some confusion into the works though, Deadline has reported that, actually, there are no talks with Phillips or Silver over a sequel – although they state that it's still a likelihood – and that talk of a different villain movie is false.

While Variety has said that a sequel is being "explored", but any talks are very preliminary and no deal or storyline is in place.



Warner Bros.

Joker recently crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, having already become the most profitable comic book movie of all time and the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever.

Phillips had previously given a hint of what kind of sequel he'd do for Joker, saying it couldn't just be "this wild and crazy movie" about the character, adding: "It would have to have some thematic resonance in a similar way that [Joker] does."

Joker is out now in cinemas and is available to pre-order on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD.

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