‘Joker 2’ is officially in the works

Joker 2 is officially moving forward as the director announced a second installment of the film on his Instagram as he posts a photo of the script and a picture of the star reading it. Penned by Phillips and Scott Silver, this edition of the script was made on May 18, 2022. The script calls the film Joker: Folie à Deux, which is a reference to the shared delusional disorder of the same name. Whether or not those names stick remains to be seen.

“Director Todd Phillips’ original, stand-alone origin story Joker explores the world of—and according to—Arthur Fleck,” says the synopsis. “Indelibly portrayed by Phoenix, Arthur is a man facing the cruelty and outright scorn of society, along with the indifference of a system that allows him to spiral from vulnerability into depravity. A clown-for-hire by day, he strives to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds that the joke always seems to be on him. He’s out of tune with everyone around him, as evidenced by his uncontrollable, inappropriate laughter, which gains momentum as he attempts to contain it, exposing him to further ridicule—and even violence.”

It further reads, “Arthur, who devotes himself to caring for his fragile mother, seeks out every father figure he’s never had, from wealthy businessman Thomas Wayne to TV host Murray Franklin. Caught in a cyclical existence teetering on the precipice of reality and madness, one bad decision brings about a chain reaction of escalating, ultimately deadly, events.”

Phoenix starred as the titular villain with Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge,  Marc Maron, Josh Pais and Shea Whigham.