Posted in: Joker, Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: Joker: Folie à Deux

Todd Phillips Says James Gunn Had No Input On Joker: Folie à Deux

Director Todd Phillips has confirmed that DC Studios CEO's James Gunn and Peter Safran had no input regarding Joker: Folie À Deux.

Published Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:42:08 -0500

by Kaitlyn Booth

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Article Summary

Todd Phillips confirms James Gunn, Peter Safran had no input on Joker: Folie À Deux's production.
Joker: Folie À Deux faces low scores and poor box office, fueling rumors about production issues.
The film was in progress before Gunn and Safran's DC Studios leadership began.
Phillips had creative freedom after Joker's massive critical and commercial success.

Well, things for Joker: Folie À Deux are not looking good. The RottenTomatos and MetaCritic, critic and audience scores, keep falling, the box office is looking like it's going to come in pretty low, the CinemaScore is one of the worst we've seen from a studio blockbuster, and even fans are turning against the film that they seemed happy to try and defend in the lead up to the release. There are all sorts of rumors and whatnot coming out about the production, some of which are more believable than others, and it's only a matter of time before conspiracy theories about this whole thing start forming. However, one we can happily put to bed before it even takes root is some idea that James Gunn and Peter Safran had a hand in this and tried to sabotage the movie or something. Director Todd Phillips confirmed that the new heads of DC Studios had nothing to do with this movie. At a pre-screening Q&A (via /Film), Phillips said, "With all due respect to [Gunn and Safran]. This is kind of a Warner Brothers movie, and that's them also wanting it to be like, 'Okay, Todd did his thing. Let Todd continue to do his thing.'"

People might be surprised that Warner Bros. let Todd "do his thing," but it makes sense if you think about it for even a second. Joker was a film that earned critical and commercial acclaim, even getting some award wins, something that comic book movies often have a hard time achieving. Then there was the massive box office. Joker made over a billion at the worldwide box office, and it is still the second highest-grossing R-rated film behind Deadpool & Wolverine. Of course, those in charge essentially wrote Phillips a blank check and told him to do whatever he wanted; they thought they hit a goldmine. There were even rumors that they were courting him to take over DC Studios, and they were so happy with Joker's performance. So anyone meddling in Joker: Folie À Deux was unlikely, to begin with, but as writer Scott Silver pointed out during the same Q&A, Joker: Folie À Deux "started before [Gunn and Safran] even came up for it," so the movie was already in the works before the power shift at DC even happened.

Joker: Folie À Deux: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

From acclaimed writer/director/producer Todd Phillips comes Joker: Folie À Deux, the much-anticipated follow-up to 2019's Academy Award-winning Joker, which earned more than $1 billion at the global box office and remains the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. The new film stars Joaquin Phoenix once again in his Oscar-winning dual role as Arthur Fleck/Joker opposite Oscar-winner Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born).

Joker: Folie À Deux finds Arthur Fleck institutionalized at Arkham, awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love but also finds the music that's always been inside him.

The film also stars Oscar nominees Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Catherine Keener (Get Out, Capote), alongside Zazie Beetz, reprising her role from Joker. Phillips, who was nominated for Oscars for directing, writing, and producing Joker, directed Joker: Folie À Deux from a screenplay by fellow Oscar nominee Scott Silver & Phillips, based on characters from DC. The film was produced by Phillips, Oscar nominee Emma Tillinger Koskoff and Joseph Garner. Lady Gaga served as music consultant. The film's executive producers are Michael E. Uslan, Georgia Kacandes, Silver, Mark Friedberg, and Jason Ruder.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Joint Effort Production, A Film by Todd Phillips, Joker: Folie À Deux. The film will be released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, and will be only in theaters nationwide on October 4, 2024, and beginning internationally on 2 October, 2024.

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