Joker director Todd Phillips is teasing a potential sequel to the DC blockbuster, suggesting he is open to the idea of Joker 2 so as long as a strong enough idea presents itself. After dominating the box office since its debut in theaters last month, Joker has established its place in cinema history as the most profitable comic book movie adaptation in history.

Naturally, this success has led to speculation that a sequel would be ordered by Warner Bros., and while no such project is yet in the works, Todd Phillips admits he would consider helming a follow-up movie to continue Arthur Fleck's story. Here's what the filmmaker told The Los Angeles Times about the possibility.

"It couldn't just be this wild and crazy movie about the Clown Prince of Crime. It would have to have some thematic resonance in a similar way that [the original] does. Because I think that's ultimately why the movie connected, it's what's going on underneath. So many movies are about the spark, and this is about the powder. If you could capture that again in a real way, that would be interesting."

For his part, star Joaquin Phoenix seems a bit more excited about the potential of a sequel, saying he had joked with Phillips about when they were going to start shooting the next one while they were literally filming Joker. "It was kind of in jest - but not really," Phoenix adds, making it clear he would be on board if everyone involved could craft a story compelling enough to bring him back. This echoes what Phoenix has previously said on the topic when he called Arthur Fleck a "dream role," feeling there were so many layers to the character with so much else of his story to explore.

Additionally, Phoenix has weighed in on one of the biggest Joker fan theories, providing his own viewpoint on the true nature of the Arthur Fleck character. Many fans have theorized Arthur is not actually the Joker we know who goes on to feud with Batman, instead merely influencing someone else to follow in his footsteps to become the real Clown Prince of Crime. For his part, Phoenix says he believes the man he portrays in Joker is the actual Joker and there won't be any copycats replacing him to later take on Batman, but the actor makes sure to note that this is just his opinion and even he doesn't really know for sure.

Directed by Phillips, Joker was co-written by Phillips and Scott Silver. It presents an all-new origin story for the infamous Batman adversary by introducing him as Arthur Fleck, a clown for hire and aspiring stand-up comedian who greatly suffers from mental illness. As Arthur, Phoenix has greatly impressed most everyone who has seen Joker, with many fans calling for him to get a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars. Still, while the movie has garnered some phenomenal reviews and has smashed box office records to become one of the most successful movies ever made, many fans feel that it's best to leave Joker be as a one-and-done story as there's seemingly no way to possibly top the original.

Joker continues to play in theaters everywhere as it nears a billion dollars in global ticket sales. It may be the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, but time will tell if the esteemed movie will ever see a sequel. If not, we'll still see plenty of the Clown Prince of Crime in other DC projects, such as the new Harley Quinn animated series from DC Universe where he's voiced by Alan Tudyk. This news comes to us from The Los Angeles Times.