While comic book movies are everywhere, a few projects stand out as wholly original. Chief among them is Joker, (which is streaming with a Max subscription) and the first movie earned Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar. The sequel Folie à Deux will be in theaters shortly, so will Joker 3 come after? Here's what the director himself thinks.
What we know about Joker: Folie à Deux is fairly limited, but fans are hyped to see the story of Arthur Fleck continue... especially alongside Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn. Anticipation for the movie is high, especially once Joker 2's trailer teased what's to come. Todd Phillips recently spoke to Variety about that sequel, where he expressed wanting to move on from that particular universe. In his words:
It was fun to play in this sort of sandbox for two movies, but I think we’ve said what we wanted to say in this world.
There you have it. It sounds like while Phillips enjoyed his time in Arthur Fleck's world over the last two movies, he's not envisioning an ongoing franchise for Joker. So moviegoers should enjoy seeing the Joker 2 cast together while they can.
Phillips' comments make a great deal of sense, as Joker was likely never intended to be a franchise. But following the wild success of the first movie, Warner Bros. and the filmmaker found a way to expand its story for Folie à Deux. And it should be fascinating to see where the story goes after Joker's ending, and its use of an unrealiable narrator.
Since the filmmaker doesn't want to make Joker into a full-blown trilogy, what's next for Todd Phillips? Later in that same interview, he mentioned wanting to work with Joaquin Phoenix on a very different project, saying:
I’d love to keep working with Joaquin but on a comedy, because he can be so loose and funny. And I think people really want comedies right now. The trailer for Joker 2 sort of sums things up when it says, ‘What the world needs now is love.’ But I would go farther: We could use a good laugh too.
There you have it. While some might be surprised by this pivot to comedy, it makes a great deal of sense. Todd Phillips has had great success in that genre before, particularly the Hangover movies. The Joker universe is a dark and grueling one, so I can't blame him for wanting to go back to projects that make people laugh.
Of course, we'll have to wait for the Joker sequel to arrive in theaters this fall before that happens. Anticipation for the sequel is high, with moviegoers curious about how musical numbers will factor into the story. Luckily the wait is nearly over.
Joker: Folie à Deux will hit theaters on October 4th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.
