Joaquin Phoenix Gets Candid About Joker 2 Progress

When "Joker" released in 2019, it became a huge hit with audiences, grossing over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office, and becoming the highest grossing R-rated film of all-time (per Box Office Mojo). While it wasn't quite as well-received by critics — it garnered a middling 68% on Rotten Tomatoes – the performance of star Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, the man who becomes the Joker, was near-universally praised. So much so, in fact, that Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor (via Deadline). 

However you felt about "Joker," since its release, there has been a ton of speculation about a potential sequel, though no such film has actually been confirmed. Phoenix himself has previously stated that he's potentially interested in "Joker 2," believing that there's plenty of places the character can go from where the first film left off (per "Popcorn with Peter Travers"). In fact, the actor seemed thrilled with the possibility of returning to Gotham City.

However, Phoenix recently got candid over the state of "Joker 2" and just how much progress has been made toward the goal of crafting it.

During a recent interview with The Playlist, Joaquin Phoenix was asked about the state of "Joker 2" and he didn't hold back about the uncertainty of the project. "I mean, I dunno. From when we were shooting, we started to —you know, uhh, this is an interesting guy," Phoenix said. "There are some things we could do with this guy and could [explore] further. But as to whether we actually will? I don't know."

Phoenix definitely seems to reiterate that there are places left to take the Joker character, but his uncertainty over the project is more than likely a disappointment to fans. Earlier in the year, The Hollywood Reporter revealed (briefly) that "Joker" director Todd Phillips was co-writing a script for a sequel, so that's at least an encouraging sign. However, one has to wonder if things have changed between now and then, given Phoenix's reticence when it comes to confirming a sequel. 

Another possibility is that Phoenix is simply playing coy. Perhaps he doesn't want to give away any information before Phillips and Warner Bros. are ready to announce anything. Only time will tell what turns out to be the case for "Joker 2."