It looks like Todd Phillips may be set to return for Joker 2, but not as director.
THR reports that the filmmaker has closed a deal to co-write the planned sequel, which we recently learned was officially in development at Warner Bros. The news is buried in the trade's piece on "Hollywood's Top 100 Lawyers" (for some reason), so it's probably best to take it with a grain of salt until we hear more.
Shortly after Joker laughed its way past $1 billion at the global box office back in 2019, it was reported that Phillips was set to re-team with star Joaquin Phoenix for a direct follow-up to the controversial film. However, both he and Phoenix later denied any involvement in a potential sequel, and it was put down to a case of crossed wires until THR (again) revealed that Joker 2 was indeed in the works last month.
It's odd that there still hasn't been a a bigger announcement relating to the sequel, but it could be a case of deals still needing to be finalized. Whatever the case may be, there's no smoke without fire, so we'll just have to hope that more details are revealed soon.
Tell us, would you like to see Arthur Fleck's story continue in another Joker movie? Let us know in the comments