Joaquin Phoenix might sign on for two more sequels to Joker if he accepts the alleged $50 million offer from Warner Bros.
A follow up to 2019’s Joker seems expected after the movie’s success at the awards circuit and in the box office. The film raked over $1 billion commercially, and Phoenix won critical accolades as Best Actor in various awards.
According to The Mirror, Phoenix thought his origin film was going to be standalone. However, he is changing his mind and might reconsider returning for the sequels.
Negotiations are reportedly ongoing, but sources said that the actor is already engaged with the development of the scripts.
It’s a four-year plan
If the plan comes together and Phoenix agrees to reprise the role as Arthur Fleck/Joker, sources said that the movie would be active in production for four years. Director Todd Phillips and producer Bradley Cooper are on board as well and waiting on Phoenix to say yes to the lucrative offer.
Phoenix “waited at the last minute” to agree to star in the first Joker. He has to weight things harder if the studio is asking him for a long-term commitment.
Warner Bros, however, wants the second movie to be in theaters in 2022 and the next one in 2024. So this means that they have to begin production in early 2021 to meet their target date.
An elaborate process
Phoenix went through an elaborate process to play the Clown Prince of Crime, especially since fans think that Heath Ledger portrayed the character best. But the actor agreed to go to places where most would hesitate, investing in his physical, emotional, and mental transformation.
Apart from losing a ton of weight to prepare for the role, Phoenix had to isolate himself during the filming.
“I never felt this moment of being done with my work day… I didn’t socialize at all,” the actor told Metro. “The person I interacted with was [director Todd Phillips]. That became my world.”
Phoenix also revealed that he sacrificed food and interaction with the cast or crew during filming to maintain his thin frame and stay in the zone.
“I also didn’t really have a life at that time,” the actor revealed.
His sacrifices, however, paid off since he felt stimulated and motivated to play the enigmatic character. He also said that he was excited about coming to work every day and would come to the Joker set two hours early to talk to the director about their process.
Phoenix, however, said in a previous interview that he doesn’t want to go through this again, especially the brutal diet for Joker. He told ET Online that the more he got into the role, the more difficult it was to play out on screen.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures/YouTube