Todd Phillips, the director behind one of the year’s most highly anticipated sequels,Joker: Folie à Deux, has sadly dampened the dreams of millions of fans. Regardless of the potential success of the sequel toJoker,he has no plans to make a Harley Quinn spin-off starringLady Gaga. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t happen. The director addressed the idea of a possible spin-off in a blunt reply toVarietyduring a red-carpet event for this month’sJokerfollow-up. While it seems he always saw the Arthur Fleck story as a two-movie event, he doesn’t see a reason to go any further:
“For me, I’ve always thought that these two movies kind of exist as their own thing. And, no. I know you’re trying to get the next thing, but I don’t want to go into that.”
As reported byCBR, Lawrence Sher, the cinematographer of bothJokerfilms and a frequent Todd Phillips collaborator, was asked the same question about a possible Harley Quinn spin-off. Again his answer wasn’t exactly promising,and he bounced the ball to Warner Bros saying, “Wow. That’s a Warner Bros. question, yeah, you’ve got to ask them.“Notably, their answers come following the less-than-lukewarmreceptionJoker: Folie à Deuxhas received.
Todd Phillips Is Moving Away From the DC Universe After Joker 2
As well as rejecting the idea of a spin-off, Phillips has also nipped in the bud the idea of aJoker 3. Speaking recently toTHRabout a potential third entry in theJokeruniverse, he said:
“It’s not really where this movie is headed for me. I feel like my time in the DC Universe was these two films.”
Whilea future character crossoverwould have been the most logical direction in terms of ticket sales, one thing’s for sure: Phillips’Jokermovies don’t seem to follow the design of most DC Universe films that reek of franchise rules.
Best Joker Performances (Live-Action & Animated), Ranked
Let’s take a closer look at the caped crusader’s ultimate adversary and the best performance of him to date.
It’s still yet to be seen whether the award season will see Warner Bros launch a campaign to see Lady Gaga hold a coveted golden statue. Even so, it certainly sounds like this could truly be the end of Phoenix’s interpretation of the Joker character and Phillips' gloomy-yet-grounded version of Gotham City. Of course, it is possible that a new filmmaker could helm Harley Quinn spin-off. However, this is perhaps unlikely, considering Lady Gaga seems to have accepted her participation in the filmdue to the great scriptby Silver and Phillips. As Phillips explained:
“I think we sent her half the script, and she texted me pretty quickly that she was really into it, that she loved it and everything you want to hear. And then I went out to her house, and we met about what it was going to be, the rest of it, because we hadn’t written it yet. Scott Silver and I are notoriously slow writers.”
Joker: Folie à Deuxfollows Arthur Fleck, aka Joker (Joaquin Phoenix), now awaiting trial for the crimes he committed in the first film. While he’s imprisoned at Arkham Asylum, he meets Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga) and falls in love with the mysterious woman who also awakens the musician who has lied dormant behind his maniacal smile.
Joker: Folie à Deuxwill be released exclusively in theaters on June 20, 2025.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips' critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.
