In spite of Joker’s huge financial success and Oscar buzz, director Todd Phillips still won’t commit to a sequel. However, he’s definitely interested in exploring the film’s version of Gotham City even further. And in order to do this, it might be time to call in the Dark Knight himself.
While speaking with Variety, Phillips was once again pressed on the possibility of continuing Arthur Fleck’s story in another film. He remained evasive, but he did suggest that the Gotham they established in Joker could serve as a staging ground for similar takes on other familiar DC characters.
“It’s a beautiful Gotham,” said Phillips. “What I would like to see someone tackle is what Batman looks like from that Gotham.”
Although it’s his idea, Phillips doesn’t necessarily think he’d direct that movie himself.
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“I’m not saying I’m going to do that,” continued Phillips. “What was interesting to me about the inclusion of Batman in our movie was, ‘What kind of Batman does that Gotham make?’ That’s all I meant by that.”
Joker memorably ended with a masked assailant gunning down Bruce Wayne’s parents during the riot inspired by Arthur’s violent actions. If Warner Bros. were to produce a Batman movie set it this universe, it would presumably jump forward a few decades. But as interesting as it would be to see how Gotham has changed in that time, we’ll probably never see it. After all, the studio is already rebooting the Batman franchise with Robert Pattinson. Plus, Phillips has admitted that he doesn’t see Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker “fighting anybody.”
Phillips’ comments actually fall in line with his original intentions for Joker. Last month, he revealed that he originally pitched his movie as the first in a trilogy of films focusing on different characters and set outside the mainstream DC continuity. He also said that a different director would helm each movie. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like Warner Bros. is moving forward with these plans.
Should Warner Bros. make a Batman film that takes cues from Joker? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
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