When Joker hit theaters in 2019, none anticipated the global box office sweep of over one billion dollars. The character study of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a party clown who becomes shunned by society, resonated with people both out of sympathy and fear. Joker was written and directed by Todd Philips, who recently teased a sequel on Instagram, with the title: “Folie à Deux”
Joker fans are already expressing their hopes for the sequel, and much speculation has begun surrounding “Folie à Deux”, which is a psychiatry phrase for a shared delusional disorder (SDD), otherwise known as “Delusion or mental illness shared by two people.”
8 Self-Contained Story
Fans across the internet have expressed their desire to keep Joker’s story self-contained. They want another personal story that includes Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck character, and not one in which he teams up with The Suicide Squad or has Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam make a cameo.
Cinematic universes have boomed into pop culture ever since 2008’s Iron Man. Marvel Studios are still going strong, and fans question the longevity of each character introduced. Joker fans don’t want the same treatment here, as the first film is often seen as the Taxi Driver of comic book movies.
7 The Purple Suit
If anything is more iconic than Joker’s sinister smile, pale complexion, and green hair, it would be his snazzy purple suit. All depictions of the Joker have purple. The classic looks of Jack Nicholson had the Clown Prince of Crime sporting his comic-accurate purple suit, or the more recent Jared Leto iteration which had a crocodile leather coat in shining purple.
Joker’s attire in Joker was a red suit, with an orange vest and green shirt. The look itself works perfectly for the film. It was created by costume designer Mark Bridges, and the outfit reflects the '80s setting and the financial means of Arthur Fleck. However, fans love that bold purple.
6 Music By Hildur Guðnadóttir
A large part of 2019’s Joker film’s identity was the music by Hildur Guðnadóttir. This Icelandic musician won an Academy Award for her original score composed for Joker. The bold and somber cello reflects Arthur Fleck’s inner turmoil and beautifully conveys his loneliness.
Hildur Guðnadóttir should be brought back to compose more music for Joker 2, considering how much of a connection her music has with this interpretation of the DC character. Guðnadóttir perfectly conveys the slipping sanity and depravity of Arthur Fleck, and if another character is brought into the mix, it will be great to see what Guðnadóttir could come up with.
5 Deeper Look Into Arkham
Todd Philips’s Joker ditches the famed, gothic-looking Arkham Asylum for an in-city hospital. Arkham State Hospital is a location that Arthur visits a few times throughout the film, and the place he ends up in after his murderous appearance on Murray’s talk show.
Arkham is home to all sorts of colorful characters in Batman’s rogue’s gallery. Even though they have yet to come across the Caped Crusader, it would be interesting to see if any of these characters have already found a temporary home in Arkham with Arthur.
4 More Dances
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
One of the most memorable scenes throughout Joker is Arthur Fleck’s attempt at the dance. Phoenix beautifully conveys Arthur’s emotion as he expresses himself through a lonely, transformative dance. It’s filled with expressionism and metamorphosis and adds to a beautiful yet chilling scene in the bathroom dance.
Arthur dances a few times in the film, most famously once he has transformed into Joker. He dances on the “Joker Stairs”, a real-life location in the Bronx, New York City. Since Arthur dances throughout the film, it would be nice to see this continued, as, at the end of the film, Arthur has come to accept himself, and expresses his newfound identity without shame.
3 The Batman
There can be no Joker without Batman, and the rivalry is one of the most iconic in fiction. It’s hard to think about Joker without thinking about his arch-nemesis. The Wayne family plays an important role in Joker, and Arthur even interacts with a young Bruce. Many fans are divided on whether they want Robert Pattinson's Batman from The Batman to be set in the same universe.
The end of Joker has the moment that turns Bruce Wayne into Batman: his parents are murdered in an alleyway. The film lingers on this scene as if Batman has been born. This forges a connection to Joker, as Arthur Fleck spurred the riots that got the Wayne family killed. If the sequel is set years later, Batman could be prominent in Gotham. The story could also show poverty and society's abandonment of outcasts and the ill by having Batman seem somewhat of a villain, using his wealth and fists against less fortunate people.
2 Doctor Harleen Quinzel
As fans know, the ending of Joker places Arthur Fleck back in Arkham State Hospital. He’s a changed man, and for the first time, he laughs from the heart, even when committing another violent act. Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” plays as Arthur parades through the polished floors of the hospital with bloody feet.
Arthur’s inability to cooperate with hospital care workers might change once Doctor Harleen Quinzel comes into the madhouse. Initially introduced in Batman: The Animated Series, Harley Quinn has become an iconic DC character in her own right. Her origin consists of her studying Joker as a psychiatrist but soon falling madly in love with him. It will be interesting to see if this “madness shared by two” is the toxic love between Joker and Harley.
1 Willem Dafoe
For years, fans of DC Comics have been fan-casting one of Hollywood’s most prolific actors of our time: Willem Dafoe as The Joker. His legendary career consists of over one hundred film credits, and in those are a few comic book movies. Just recently, Dafoe returned as the sinister Green Goblin for Marvel Studio’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Dafoe also plays Vulko in DC’s Aquaman.
Dafoe is aware of the internet’s want for him as The Joker and made a joke about it on Saturday Night Live. Dafoe’s acting ability would be perfect for The Joker, and he has even fantasized about playing a “Joker imposter” character opposite Joaquin Phoenix for a Joker sequel. Something that is now entirely possible with the title “Folie à Deux” alluding to two mentally ill people.
Joker: Folie à Deux is currently in development at Warner Bros. Pictures