Joker: Folie à Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Woman Gaga because the clown prince of crime and Harley Quinn, is inching ever nearer to its theatrical launch. Whereas its stars are nonetheless coming to phrases with whether or not their musical sequel is in reality a musical, Phoenix is harboring reservations over whether or not he and director Todd Phillips have it in them to make it a trilogy.

In a current interview with IGN, Phillips and screenwriter Scott Silver mirrored on how Joker 2 got here collectively. As Phillips recollects, he and Phoenix fell in love with what they created with Arthur Fleck and shortly started joking about the place the character’s misadventures might proceed across the 30-day mark of the primary movie’s 55-day shoot. As IGN notes, Phoenix is mostly opposed to creating sequels, so making Joker 2 got here with its fair proportion of caveats.

“There was no approach Joaquin was going to do something with the quantity two after it, even in the event you say ‘à Deux,’ except it was a completely totally different and dangerous [thing] and kind of swinging for the fences. In order that sort of led the cost,” Phillips advised IGN. “I imply, we weren’t going to go and simply write an anticipated sequel. Oh, that man who’s standing on the cop automotive is now operating against the law syndicate in Gotham. Not solely would I probably not essentially have that curiosity, however there’s no approach Joaquin’s making that film as a result of he is aware of that wasn’t actually Arthur Fleck, the Arthur Fleck that all of us created.”

“He actually mentioned to me, ‘I’m not going to do that except I’m as scared as I used to be on the primary one.’ He was petrified on the primary film the way in which you need an actor to be,” Phillips continued. “We sort of wrote a script that might kind of give him that feeling.”

Someplace alongside their back-and-forth over Joker 2, Phillips recounted Phoenix suggesting they “do that on Broadway or one thing.”

“He had this imaginative and prescient, and once more, 50 to 80% of it was us simply fucking round joking. And that’s kind of the artistic course of. After which I’ll name Scott and go, ‘What do you consider that?’ And we simply bounce round concepts. That’s simply kind of how all people works,” Phillips mentioned.

Critics have combined emotions about whether or not Phillip’s sophomore effort with Phoenix’s Joker was price all the hassle. One overview went as far as to say the movie dedicated the cardinal sin of losing Woman Gaga’s skills. When requested at Joker 2‘s official Venice press convention whether or not it was within the playing cards to make a 3rd Joker movie, Phillips left issues up within the air.

“I don’t need to communicate for Joaquin, however for me, the story of Arthur/Joker has been advised,” Phillips mentioned, based on Vulture. “I can’t say sure or no, but it surely’s not essentially my purpose to remain on this house.”

Ought to the worry of disappointing critics and audiences not be sufficient to push Phoenix’s love of Arthur into venturing into a 3rd Joker movie, Phillips might all the time go the nuclear route of dangling a homosexual romance storyline over his head. If you already know, you already know.

Joker: Folie à Deux opens in theaters on October 4th.

Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to anticipate the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on movie and TV, and all the pieces you could learn about the way forward for Physician Who.