Yahoo News Joaquin Phoenix Pictured Reading Script for Joker Sequel – and It Even Has a Title!
Todd Phillips/Instagram
Is Joaquin Phoenix getting ready to reapply his makeup?
Director Todd Phillips alluded Tuesday that a follow 2019 film Joker was in pre-production on Instagram. The two-part post opened with the red cover of a script titled Joker: Folie à Deux. The binder was dated May 18 and featured his name next to Scott Silver, with whom he co-wrote the first Joker screenplay.
A second shot showed Phoenix, 47 – who won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2020 for his role as Arthur Fleck and his alter ego in the first film – casually reading the script on a couch while smoking a cigarette.
While Deadline reported that Phoenix has yet to officially confirm that he'll pick up the lipstick again, the post teases the possibility that the actor will once again step into the supervillain's shoes.
The title Joker: Folie à Deux, which references a delusion or mental illness shared by two people, also suggests that Joker may also team up with another supervillain – possibly his sometime-girlfriend Harley Quinn, most recently played by Margot Robbie.
RELATED: Willem Dafoe Shares His Idea on a Joker Sequel Starring Him and Joaquin Phoenix
Todd Phillips/Instagram
Phillips' original Joker broke box office records as the first R-rated movie to hit the $1 billion mark in 2019. The movie reimagined the DC character's narrative and earned 12 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
In addition to Phoenix's win, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir took home Best Original Score.
Amidst the positive buzz, however, the movie also generated controversy, with people concerned about whether its depiction of violence would incite copycats. Additionally, it featured a song by convicted pedophile Gary Glitter — though it was later reported that he would not receive royalties from the song, "Rock and Roll (Part 2)" being used in the movie.
MEGA Joaquin Phoenix Filming Todd Phillips "The Joker"
Responding to the backlash, Phoenix said in 2019, "Well, I think that, for most of us, you're able to tell the difference between right and wrong."
"Those that aren't are capable of interpreting anything in the way that they may want to," he added at a Joker press conference, according to IGN.
"People misinterpret lyrics from songs," he continued. "They misinterpret passages from books. So, I don't think it's the responsibility of a filmmaker to teach the audience morality or the difference between right or wrong. I mean, to me, I think that that's obvious."
