In 2020, six months after the release and phenomenal success of his “Joker”, director Todd Phillips seemed very reluctant to consider a sequel, even if he anticipated from that moment “pressure from the studio” (Warner) on the matter. It was finally Joaquin Phoenix who convinced him, the actor wishing to deepen this role for which he had given so much. But Phillips had also let us understand that under no circumstances, if there were to be a sequel, would he make the same film again.
Festival-goers at the Venice Film Festival, where “Joker: Folie à Deux” was previewed this Wednesday evening (making it the biggest event of the fortnight, given the hysteria caused by Lady Gaga’s presence in the credits and on site), were able to see that the filmmaker kept his word, which will come as no surprise to those who know him.