Warner Bros. has been on a roll with its superhero projects lately, producing projects set both within and outside of the main DCEU. Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker movie was the first project in the latter category, and was a giant Oscar-winning hit. But is filmmaker Todd Phillips going to have a bigger role in the DCEU? Here’s the latest.
The Hangover director Todd Phillips dipped his toe into the comic book genre for the first time with Joker, putting his own spin on the Clown Prince of Crime’s backstory. The dark and gritty vision really resonated with audiences, and according to a new report by THR, he was potentially asked by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav to help as an advisor to upcoming DC movies.
According to this interesting new report, David Zaslav is focused on exactly how to lead Warner Bros.’ continued efforts with DC movies. While Zack Snyder was the original architect for the DCEU, he ultimately had a falling out with the studio over Justice League. Since then director-driven projects have continued to be released, although they are lacking in crossover moments.
Of course, there is a potential downside to Todd Phillips’ possible new job with Warner Bros. and DC. Namely because the director-writer isn’t necessarily an expert on DC lore from the comic books. But it’s perhaps for this reason that his take on Joker was such a success; he offered something fresh and disconnected to the beloved action from the page. And there’s no telling how this POV might ultimately affect the overall DCEU if he signs on for the long haul.
Aside from this rumored role in the DCEU, plenty of moviegoers are still holding out hope that Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix reunite for a Joker sequel. While the project was seemingly in the early stages of development following the original’s massive success, there haven’t been any real updates from the powers that be at Warner Bros. But given Phillips’ aforementioned vision for Gotham City, it seems like he could take the story seemingly anywhere. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed.
The ending of Joker definitely was up for interpretation, and left audiences with plenty of questions about what they had seen over the last 122 minutes. Did Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck actually kill all those people, or was it merely another delusion like his relationship with Zazie Beetz’ Sophie? The ending also saw Bruce Wayne’s origin story play out, with his parents dying as a result of the riots inspired by Arthur himself. Perhaps we could see Batman rise in a sequel? Only time will tell.
The next DC movie hitting theaters is Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam on October 21st. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
