Joker 2 Fan Art Combining Joaquin Phoenix With Willem Dafoe Is The Stuff Of Nightmares

Joaquin Phoenix's Joker and Willem Dafoe's Norman Osbourne side by side
(Image credit: Warner Bros./ Sony)

Warner Bros. has been making some bold swings with its comic book projects, set both within and outside of the main DCEU. Todd Phillips Joker was in the latter category, and ended up being a massive critical and box office success. A sequel is currently in development, and some Joker: Folie à Deux fan art has combines Joaquin Phoenix with Willem Dafoe… and it’s the stuff of nightmares.

While both Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips expressed interest in a Joker sequel after its release, the project sat in development for a few years. But it looks like the project is finally coming together; it’s been given an approximate release date and Phoenix is reportedly getting a big pay raise. There are countless theories about what might happen in Joker 2, with Willem Dafoe himself expressing interest in possibly joining the fun. Now thanks to fan art on Instagram we can see him and Joaquin Phoenix’s likeness combined into one Clown Prince of Crime. Check it out below,

Well, I’m sleeping with the lights on tonight. The first Joker movie was a truly unsettling experience, and smart money says that the upcoming sequel will be as well. While there’s currently no plans for Willem Dafoe to join the burgeoning DC franchise, it would be thrilling to see he and Joaquin Phoenix offer dueling takes on the Batman villain. We’ll just have to see what Todd Phillips and company are actually planning.

The above image comes to us from the Instagram of Jaxon Derr, who has a whopping 33k followers on the social media platform. This following has been accrued thanks to awesome fan art featuring characters from DC and Marvel mythology. And while fans patiently wait for information about Joker: Folie à Deux, images like this are sure to continue going viral. 

The rumors about Willem Dafoe and Joker 2 were partly due to the beloved actor himself. He personally expressed interest in the possibility of joining the franchise, musing on the ideas of a fake Joker. Dafoe was previously quoted, saying: 

There is something interesting about, like, if there was a Joker imposter. So it would be possible to have not only dueling Jokers but someone that says to be the Joker that isn't the Joker. And that kind of opens up the possibility of an interesting story, particularly if you had Joaquin Phoenix's Joker, and then you had someone who was either imitating or riffing off what he did. I fantasized about that. But other than that I am not talking to anybody [about it], you're the first one.

Honestly, sign me up. This quote started a number of rumors about him possibly factoring into Joker 2. Fan art has been rolling in, with Willem Dafoe also joking about why people constantly want him to play the Batman villain.

The actual contents of Joker 2 are a mystery at the time being, although Lady Gaga is reportedly being approached to play Harley Quinn. There was also a report that Todd Phillips’ sophomore DC effort might be a musical, which would be a bold departure from the gritty and grueling tone of the original.

Joker 2 is currently set to hit theaters in October of 2024, with filming beginning this December. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.