Will Joker 2 happen or not? It's still not entirely clear if the sequel is definitely going to happen at Warner Bros., though there have been rumors of director Todd Phillips having some early discussions with Warner Bros. about the possibility. Whether or not it happens isn't up to Joaquin Phoenix, but if and when that train officially starts moving, we can presume that the Oscar-winning actor will be there to reprise the role of Arthur Fleck.

This week, Joaquin Phoenix spoke with the Playlist about Joker 2. He was asked point blank if the rumors were true that a sequel was happening, and he was also asked if there was any movement on Joker 2 at all that he was aware of. For his part, Phoenix seems completely in the dark, as this was his response.

"I dunno... I mean, I dunno. From when we were shooting, we started to -you know, uhh, this is an interesting guy. There are some things we could do with this guy and could [explore] further. But as to whether we actually will? I don't know."

It's certainly interesting that Joaquin Phoenix doesn't outright say that the Joker won't be happening. He might know more than he's willing to let on just to keep journalists from asking too many more questions about it. Because it's still not 100% official, it would make sense that the actor wouldn't really want to tease the project if there are in fact some things happening behind the scenes. What we can say for sure from his answer here is that he's not confirming Joker 2, but he's on board if it does happen.

Joker serves as an origin story for Batman's most infamous nemesis, but it's certainly not your traditional comic book adaptation. More of a psychological thriller, the harrowing movie chronicles how a failing comedian embraces crime and violence to finally become the man he's always wanted to be. Its bizarre ending left more questions than answers, something many fans would say is fitting for a movie about the Joker.

Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor Oscar at the Academy Awards for his performance in Joker. The movie also stars Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, and Brett Cullen. Todd Phillips directed using a screenplay co-written with Scott Silver. The two were also nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars with Joker also up for Best Picture.

Many fans have made it clear that they don't want to see Joker get a sequel. The feeling among many is that continuing the story will tarnish the viewing experience of the original, which is left fairly open-ended. In any case, Phoenix has previously suggested he'd be open to returning if the sequel ever happens, as he really took a shine to playing that role.

"You know, I wouldn't have thought about this as my dream role. But now, honestly, I can't stop thinking about it," Phoenix said in 2019 via Popcorn with Peter Travers. "I talked to Todd a lot about what else we might be able to do, in general, just to work together, but also specifically, if there's something else we can do with Joker that might be interesting. So, it ended up being a dream role. It's nothing that I really wanted to do prior to working on this movie."

Time will tell if Joker 2 happens, but there's very little doubt that Warner Bros. is hoping for that to be the case. The original movie is one of the most bankable releases of all time, and making even just a fraction of those profits with Joker 2 could be very lucrative for the studio. This news comes to us from The Playlist.