No one could have foreseen the success of 2019’s Joker. Not only did the film hit the $1 billion mark globally and earn a best picture nomination, but it also sparked an important mental health discussion, making it one of the defining films of the last decade. Naturally, Warner Bros. -- the studio behind the film -- wanted a sequel immediately. So why did it ultimately take so long for the sequel, Joker: Folie À Deux, to be released? Well, writer/director Todd Phillips just explained all of that to CinemaBlend.
I recently caught up with Todd Phillips to talk about Folie À Deux. During our chat, I brought up the studio's push for more Arthur Fleck, and he said this:
They did, like any studio would go, ‘Hey, we should do another one.’ I understand where that comes from but if you remember the timeline, COVID came rather quickly. Right after Joker or after Joker was out for a bit. And then we are all in the house. And then Joaquin [Phoenix] and I started texting each other and Scott Silver, who I write these with, we started talking on the phone every day. So it wasn't like a eureka moment, it kind of just built and became and was born.
It was just starting to feel like we were past the times of reporting on COVID delays in Hollywood but, alas, here we are. Todd Phillips’ patience with the studio is a little surprising, given how hard they must have been coming at him. However, it seems that the whole idea just came about naturally. That’s for the best, isn’t it? It’s fair to assume that great art comes about with free-flowing creativity, and not pressure from your corporate overlords.
Hopefully, this translates into a film that audiences love just as much as Joker. As of now, it’s fair to say that critics are mixed on Joker: Folie À Deux. In CinemaBlend's own Joker 2 review, Eric Eisenberg praised the pairing of Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga but state that as a whole the film doesn’t “totally work.”
Joaquin Phoenix previously stated that he doesn’t really care about that type of success, . With that, I'd imagine that the actor -- who won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance as Fleck presumably be happy enough if the film impacted folks the way that the first film in the series did in 2019.
Regardless of how the film is received, it's clear that Todd Phillips and co. traveled down a long road to get to this moment. It'll be very intriguing to see how the film is ultimately received.
You can see Joker: Folie À Deux in theaters on October 4! To prepare for your own showing, be sure to stream the movie's 2019 predecessor with a Max subscription And, as always, be sure to read up on other film heading our way in 2024.
