Joker 2: Todd Phillips Says Sequel With Joaquin Phoenix Is Possible

Joker director Todd Phillips hopes audiences are ready for a double dose of high-pitched cackling. 

Joaquin Phoenix has yet to grace the screen as the criminal mastermind, yet in a recent interview with Total Film magazine (via GamesRadar), Phillips pontificated on a possible sequel for the yet-to-be-released film based on the famed Batman villain. 

"One thing I will tell you: I would do anything with Joaquin, any day of the week," he said. "There's nobody like him. If he was willing to do it, and if people show up to this movie, and Warners came to us and said, 'You know what? If you guys could think of something...' Well, I have a feeling that he and I could think of something pretty cool." 

It's clear to see Phillips is hoping fans will flock to theaters to see the dark reimagining of the Clown Prince of Crime's origin story, and that they'll like what they see so much, a sequel will be in high demand. 

Phillips has stated that, while Joker does take inspiration from the comic books as well as classic Martin Scorsese films like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, the story the creative team is telling is an original one — focusing on what it would be like for a person to become the Joker. The Joker crew also "didn't follow anything from the comic books, which people are gonna be mad about," so audiences are definitely in for an experience unlike anything they've witnessed before. 

For his part, Phoenix is taking the Joker job very seriously and has taken a full dive into the heady role. While speaking about the R-rated superhero flick during an interview with Collider, Phoenix said, "It feels unique, it is its own world in some ways, and maybe, mostly, it scares the f****** s*** out of me."

R-rated superhero films have become all-the-rage in recent years following the success of Marvel-related projects like Deadpool and Logan. DC is obviously looking to get in on that kind of adult-oriented action, and time will tell if Joker is enough of a success to warrant a sequel. 

Joker is set to release in theaters on October 4.