The studio wanted Joker 2 immediately. Todd Phillips explains why it took 5 years

Nobody could have predicted the success of 2019 Joker. Not only did the film reach the $1 billion mark worldwide and earn a Nomination for Best Picturebut it also triggered one important discussion about mental health, This makes it one of the defining films of the last decade. Of course, Warner Bros. – the studio behind the film – immediately wanted a sequel. Why did it ultimately take so long for the sequel to appear? Joker: Folie À Deuxbe released? Well, writer/director Todd Phillips just explained it all to CinemaBlend.

I recently met with Todd Phillips to talk about this Folie À Deux. During our conversation, I brought up the studio’s push for more Arthur Fleck, and he said this:

They did it like any studio would say, “Hey, we should do another one.” I understand where that’s coming from, but if you remember the time frame, COVID came pretty quickly. Right after Joker or after Joker has been out for a while. And then we’re all in the house. And then Joaquin [Phoenix] and I started texting each other, and with Scott Silver, who I’m writing this with, we started talking on the phone every day. So it wasn’t a Eureka moment, it just built up and was and was born.

It just felt like we were past the days of reporting on COVID delays in Hollywood, but alas, here we are. Todd Phillips’ patience with the studio is a little surprising considering how hard they must have cracked down on him. However, it seems that the whole idea came about quite naturally. This is the best, isn’t it? It is fair to assume that great art comes from free creativity and not from pressure from corporate bosses.

Hopefully it will result in a film that audiences love just as much Joker. At the moment, it’s fair to say that critics are divided To Joker: Folie À Deux. In CinemaBlend’s own product Joker 2 reviewEric Eisenberg praised the pairing of Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, but noted that the film as a whole doesn’t “quite work.”

Joaquin Phoenix had previously stated that he didn’t really care this kind of success, . So I imagine the actor, who won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance as Fleck, would probably be happy enough if the film impacted people like the first film in the series did in 2019.

Regardless of how the film is received, it’s clear that Todd Phillips and company have come a long way to get to this moment. It will be very exciting to see how the film is ultimately received.

You can see Joker: Folie À Deux in the cinema on October 4th! To prepare for your own screening, be sure to stream the film’s 2019 predecessor with a Max subscription. And as always, be sure to read up on other films too Film coming to us in 2024.

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