‘Joker’ Sequel Being Explored by Todd Phillips, Warner Bros.

By Brent Lang

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “Joker,” the $1 billion-grossing comic-book smash, may take another look at the fraying mind of Arthur Fleck.

Warner Bros. film chief Toby Emmerich has met with writer and director Todd Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver to explore possible ideas for a sequel to the drama about the early days of the Clown Prince of Crime. Insiders caution that the talks are very preliminary, no deal is in place, no storyline has been decided upon, and no script is currently being written. Phillips is also eager to make sure that any follow-up meets the artistic level of the original, which garnered strong reviews and Oscar buzz for star Joaquin Phoenix. Phillips was initially pretty clear that he saw “” as being a one-off.

Insiders shot down reports that Warner Bros. and DC are talking about having Phillips do origin stories for other comic-book characters, revealing what cracked on their trek to the dark side. Any “Joker” follow-up will take years to pull off and DC has a busy slate. In the coming years, the studio will release “Wonder Woman 1984,” Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” with Robert Pattinson assuming the cape and cowl, “Black Adam” starring Dwayne Johnson, Margot Robbie’s “Birds of Prey,” and a sequel to “Suicide Squad.”

Phillips’ credits include “The Hangover,” “War Dogs” and “Old School.”