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TOPIC
5 Reasons Why Joker 2 Should Not Happen
By Sal LoCicero | May 9, 2021 (UPDATED: October 12, 2023)
‘Joker’ was the most polarizing film of 2019. While the film may have taken home the Golden Lion Award at the 76th Venice International Film Festival, and received two oscars for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix) and Best Original Score (Hildur Guðnadóttir), it sparked an insane amount of controversy over topics related to gun violence, mass shootings, mental illness, society, and social class; all of which are highly relevant today.
The film also created more controversy around critics, some who claimed that the source material was unoriginal and a rip-off of classics before it. Todd Phillips even stated during pre-production that ‘Joker’ would take inspiration from Martin Scorsese’s films like 'Taxi Driver' (1976) and 'The King Of Comedy' (1982). 'Joker' was both a tremendous success as it was a tremendous failure. It grew major storm throughout the country, it divided both critics and audiences, it became the first R-Rated feature to gross a billion dollars worldwide, it won the most significant award at Venice, and it won two Oscars.
This week it has been announced that a sequel to 'Joker' is still in development at Warner Bros. During the release of Joker, Todd Phillips had discussed about a potential sequel with WB, however no further details were given at the time. The studio may believe that a sequel to Joker is a good move, given the first film’s financial success, however we think otherwise and here’s why…
5. THE success of joker (2019)
Before it was ever in production, 'Joker' left many people skeptical. It was exciting to hear that Warner Bros. and DC Comics were going to develop a Joker origin story, however it was the decision regarding how it would be executed that left many fans doubtful. In 2016, it was said that the movie was to steer clear from any comic book inspired stories relating to the villain. It was also stated that 'Joker' would be a "Martin Scorsese-Like" origin story written and directed by Todd Phillips; the man behind 'The Hangover' (2009).
Once the teaser trailer debuted, the public became excited. On September 7th, 2019, 'Joker' won the Golden Lion Award at the 76th Venice International Film Festival. Later on, the movie was the most nominated feature at BAFTA and the Academy Awards.
4. The controversy
After the teaser trailer debuted, people on twitter went berserk. The trailer depicted a story about a man who suffers from mental illness living in a rotten environment who turns to violence in order to become noticed. Many people argued that 'Joker' would cause violence and mass shootings to occur.
This argument had drawn so much attention that every news platform covered the topic. Victims of the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting sent a warning letter out to Warner Bros. about releasing the movie in theaters. The military sent out an emergency warning in case of an active shooter during a showing of 'Joker', and police from NY to LA were present during Joker’s first week in theaters. One movie theater in LA shutdown during a Thursday night showing due to online threats.
3. Todd Phillips
Ever since 2000, Todd Phillips has been known for directing raunchy comedies. This is the man who directed 'Old School', and The Hangover Trilogy. 'The Hangover' is one of the most successful comedies of all time; both critically and financially. After its release, Phillips signed on to make a sequel in 2011 with the same cast. 'The Hangover Part II' was not as well received as the first film. Many critics complained that the sequel was a copy and paste of the first film only with a darker tone.
With Todd Phillips discussing a possible sequel with Warner Bros, one can't help but think about the failure of The Hangover sequels and that will only make us even more uncertain.
2. The story will become unoriginal
One of the main reasons why Joker became one of the most anticipated features of 2019, was because the filmmakers chose to take a different approach with the infamous character. Rarely are there comic book movies nowadays that are original. DC Comics had a difficult run after The Dark Knight Trilogy. Almost every DC movie, after The Dark Knight Trilogy, tried and failed to be what those films were. After making three flops ('Man Of Steel', 'Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice', 'Suicide Squad'), the studio decided to do something different. This is where the idea of 'Joker' came into play.
Developing a sequel will defeat the purpose of the first film. Nowadays Hollywood is constantly making sequels after sequels and has nothing original to offer. 'Joker' chose to be a different comic book movie and was still able to be as successful as any other comic book hit without the need for visual effects and action set pieces . It was a slow burn drama that had a thought provoking storyline.
1. Expectations for the sequel
If Warner Bros. and Todd Phillips move forward with the sequel, they are going to have to go in a different direction with both the character and the story. The first film was a character study similar to 'Taxi Driver', maybe the second film could be a psychological thriller with similarities to 'Fight Club'. At the end of the first film, Joker's cult was taking over Gotham City. In the last scene, we get a shot of Arthur Fleck in a mental hospital, which left audiences with plenty of interpretations.
There have been some movie sequels that were as successful or even better than the original, like 'The Godfather Part II', 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day', and 'The Dark Knight' - just to name a few. If a sequel were to be in the making, could it be another success? Maybe. Would it be just as controversial as the first? Most likely.
No matter what happens, at the end of the day it’s up to Warner Bros. to decide if they are moving forward with the story or not.
What are your thoughts?
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