While the DC Extended Universe continues to expand to new heights, Warner Bros. still has other blockbuster outings planned for release outside that world. Included in that are rumors pointing toward Joaquin Phoenix's Joker, adding to its impressive legacy with an upcoming sequel. This comes after the first film shocked the world with 11 Oscar nominations, two of them being wins, and over $1 billion at the box office.
In the Todd Phillips-directed film, Phoenix took the unique opportunity to take on the iconic Batman villain in a solo movie after being in the running to play the MCU's Doctor Strange. Winning his first-ever Best Actor Oscar award for the role, the star embraced the darkness and complications of this role and set up the Clown Prince of Crime for quite the story in his solo project.
Although Phoenix is largely in the dark on specific plans for the Joker sequel, he appears ready to take on the character again after so much success the first time around. Now, a new rumor is teasing that plans are forming for Arthur Fleck's next adventure.
Pre-Production Reportedly Underway for Joker 2
Heroic Hollywood reported that Warner Bros. has started pre-production for Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix's Joker 2.
An insider close to the situation indicated that Warner Bros. currently has the first draft of the film's script and that shooting is expected to start sometime in 2023.
Joaquin Phoenix Ready for More Joker?
With this update, fans shouldn't expect to see Phoenix's take on the Joker back on the big screens for the next couple of years. Even so, it appears that Warner Bros. is looking to make sure this franchise continues following such an impressive run financially and critically in 2019.
Joker still remains one of the most controversial topics in the movie industry, but the numbers and awards place it firmly as a big accomplishment for Warner Bros. and DC films as a whole. Becoming the first R-rated movie to ever cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office, the studio sees a sequel as almost inevitable, particularly with so much time until it releases.
The first Joker outing had to fight through numerous obstacles to even go into production, making its box office haul and critical reviews that much more of a triumph in the end.
The report doesn't say when in 2023 the movie will be shooting, meaning it could be planned for a theatrical release anytime from late 2023 to early 2025, assuming there are no setbacks.
Regardless of that timeline, should this rumor prove accurate, it won't be long until the Clown Prince of Crime finds his way back onto the big screen once more.
