Joker sequel: Joaquin Phoenix says ‘there’s way too much to explore’ in just one movie

Last month ‘Joker’ became the most successful R-rated film of all time

Joaquin Phoenix has suggested he would make a Joker sequel, explaining “there’s way too much to explore” in just one movie.

While recalling the making of the film to The Envelope (via the Los Angeles Times), Phoenix said he had initially only signed on to it as it was a self-contained story.

“I guess the fear was that you’d get locked into doing something repeatedly that you don’t really care about, that doesn’t motivate you or excite you,” Phoenix said. “Part of the whole attraction to me was there was no expectation. I didn’t sign a deal to do [more movies]. It was a one-off.”

But as he began filming the movie, Phoenix told director Todd Phillips that his stance on sequels had started to shift.

“Long before the release or before we had any idea if it would be successful, we talked about sequels,” Phoenix recalled. “In the second or third week of shooting, I was like, ‘Todd, can you start working on a sequel? There’s way too much to explore.’

“It was kind of in jest — but not really,” Phoenix continued.

Phillips added: “We haven’t talked about [a sequel] a ton. We’ve only talked about the fact that if we ever did one — and I’m not saying we are because right now we’re not — it couldn’t just be this wild and crazy movie about the ‘Clown Prince of Crime.’ That just doesn’t interest us. It would have to have some thematic resonance in a similar way that this does.”

Last month, Joker became the most successful R-rated movie of all time, grossing $788 million (£609 million) and narrowly beating Deadpool, the previous record holder.

After Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds discovered the news, he posted a reworking of the Joker poster on Twitter, one that featured the phrase: “You motherf***er.”