Before Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix Made ‘Joker 2’ a Musical, They Considered ‘Joker in Space’

While a sequel to 2019’s “Joker” wasn’t a foregone conclusion until the film passed $1 billion at the box office, director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix were making plans for a follow-up before they even wrapped production. “Joker: Folie à Deux” is set to premiere at Venice Film Festival and release this upcoming October. It features the return of Phillips and Phoenix, as well as the inclusion of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn , plus a new angle that expands Joker’s repertoire: It’s a musical . In a recent interview with Empire , Phillips and Phoenix explain why they chose to make such a distinct genre choice with this latest installment and other options that were also on the table.

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“Joaquin and I talked about another one the whole time while we were making the first movie, just because we love the character,” Phillips said. “We were obsessed with Arthur. We would almost joke about it: ‘Oh, we should take Arthur and we should do this.’”

For Phoenix, his interest in Arthur in singing came from a place of seeing where the character could be taken and how he would react in any specific circumstance. Like with the first film, the Academy-Award winning actor also found inspiration in classic cinema of the past.

“I had a curiosity about going further with the character,” said Phoenix. “It felt like you could put him into almost any situation, and I would be interested to see how he would navigate it. I mocked up all of these posters of films that have already been made, like ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and ‘Godfather,’ and I put Joker in them and I gave them to Todd.”

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While some of these hints at where Joker could be taken were serious, others were admittedly for humor purposes. Speaking to Empire, Phoenix said, “There was a running joke of, ‘What about Joker in space?’ But yeah, I was fascinated by where he would end up.”

Even though they’re excited by where they landed, placing Joker at the center of his own musical experience, Phillips still isn’t sure how audiences will react. Explaining how this is part of what makes the concept so interesting, Phillips said, “This is not a lay-up sequel. And that makes it really exciting for us.”

“Joker: Folie à Deux” will premiere at the Venice Film Festival before a wide release in October.