Although the DC brand struggled to build a cohesive universe with the now-defunct DCEU, on the bright side, it hit gold with more standalone releases, including Joker and The Batman. But unlike the first Joker flick, which proved to be a cultural phenomenon, the sequel dropped the ball heavily, both critically and financially.
David Zaslav, who took over the reins of WBD in 2022, was reportedly furious over the regime that oversaw the film’s production despite the risk involved.
David Zaslav reportedly threw a fit over Joker: Folie à Deux‘s bombing
Even though the idea of a Joker musical seemed enticing to many, it was a risk, nonetheless, as it was a far cry from the original, which scored over $1B globally. Unfortunately, Joker: Folie à Deux failed to replicate its predecessor’s success, as both fans of the original and musicals were underwhelmed, and the polarizing ending didn’t help its case.
While the decision to take the bold route is admirable, as the big studios often play it safe with their IPs, David Zaslav was reportedly less than thrilled about it. Per Bloomberg, in a closed-door meeting, the CEO went nuclear on studio heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy for going through with Joker 2 and the 2025 release slate. An Insider even deemed the meeting,
A straightforward Joker 2 postmortem and a constructive conversation on the slate.
Interestingly, the idea of a Joker musical stemmed from Phillips’ failed attempt to turn the original into a Broadway production.
Todd Phillips was adamant about turning Joker into a Broadway production
On paper, the prospect of a musically driven sequel seems pretty on brand with the original film, given Arthur’s obsession with music. Interestingly, before the sequel was greenlit, Todd Phillips was adamant about taking Joker to Broadway, and similar to Arthur’s obsession with music, Phillips was obsessed with risk (via Variety).
Why do something if it doesn’t scare the shit out of you? I’m addicted to risk. I mean, it keeps you up at night. It makes your hair fall out. But it’s the sweat that keeps you going.
But due to COVID-19, the idea of a Broadway musical was scrapped, eventually contributing to the production of Joker: Folie à Deux, arguably the boldest sequel among CBMs. As for a potential threequel, given Zaslav’s outlook on the project and Phillips’ disinterest, it’s highly unlikely.
Joker: Folie à Deux is availaible to stream on MAX.
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