Joker Doesn’t Become Clown Prince Of Crime In Joker 2, Director Says

Joker: Folie A Deux continues the story of the failed comedian and clown actor Arthur Fleck as he becomes Joker, but the sequel won’t have Arthur become the true Clown Price of Crime. Writer-director Todd Phillips told Empire, “We would never do that.”

“Because Arthur clearly is not a criminal mastermind. He was never that,” Phillips said. “Arthur has become this symbol to people. This unwilling, unwitting symbol now paying for the crimes of the first film, but at the same time finding the only thing he ever wanted, which was love. That’s always what he’s been about, even though he’s been pushed and pulled in all these directions. So we tried to just make the most pure version of that.”

This is a notably different approach than Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which featured Heath Ledger playing Joker as a criminal mastermind.

Phillips went on to discuss the musical elements of Joker: Folie A Deux, saying Arthur is not a singer per se but grew up listening to the music his mother played on the radio. So in the sequel, actor Joaquin Phoenix’s job was to make Arthur sing like someone might when they’re alone in the shower. Phoenix stars in the movie alongside Lady Gaga as Harley “Lee” Quinzel, and Phoenix noted how blown away he was by her talent.

“Gaga was always very encouraging of just, ‘Go with what you feel, it’s fine,'” Phoenix said. “For somebody who’s not a performer in that way, it can be… uncomfortable to do that, but also very exciting.”

Joker: Folie A Deux releases in theaters this October, and the newest trailer can be seen above. In addition to Phoenix and Gaga, the sequel brings back Zazie Beetz and adds Oscar-nominated actors Catherine Keener, Brendan Gleeson, and Steve Coogan.