Director Todd Phillips offers insights into 'Joker' sequel

Joker: Folie à Deux was long in the making, and its director, Todd Phillips, reveals the kind of sequel he was aiming for and shares how much effort he puts into making this a reality.

During an interview with Variety, the filmmaker said he envisioned the film as a Broadway dream; however, the issue of logistics came in between. 

“When we started really thinking about it, we realized it takes four years to put something like that together. And is Joaquin really going to give six months of his life to do that every night onstage,” he recalled. “Then we thought about doing it at the Carlyle as sort of a smaller thing. But COVID hit.”

Despite shelving the initial idea, Todd borrowed some themes from it and added them into Arthur Fleck's (Joaquin Phoenix) storytelling, which, in return, turned Joker: Folie à Deux, a musical drama. However, the noted director did not outright call his film a musical. 

“I just don’t want people to think that it’s like In the Heights, where the lady in the bodega starts to sing and they take it out onto the street, and the police are dancing,” adding, “No disrespect, because I loved In the Heights.”

He continued, “Most of the music in the movie is really just dialogue. It’s just Arthur not having the words to say what he wants to say, so he sings them instead.”

Todd-directed Joker: Folie à Deux will hit cinemas on October 4, 2024.