Well, this was an interesting 24 or so hours. Early yesterday morning, THR released a report where they said Joker director Todd Phillips had not only been in talks to develop and potentially direct a Joker sequel, but that Phillips had come to Warner Bros. with a plan to create origin stories for a whole slate of DC characters. What’s more, he supposedly got the rights to one character upon leaving that supposed October 7 meeting.

Deadline hopped on that article shortly after, going so far as to call it “click bait” and claiming that none of it was true (although they acknowledged that a Joker sequel was likely inevitable). So, what’s the truth here?

IndieWire recently spoke with Phillips himself, and the director corroborated Deadline’s claims that THR “jumped the gun” on their report.

RELATED – UPDATED: Joker Sequel In The Works With Todd Phillips Likely Returning, More DC Origin Films Possibly On The Way

“I can honestly say to you there was no meeting that ever happened on October 7 where I marched in,” Phillips told the outlet. “First of all, if you know me and my career, that’s not my style. I made a huge comedy at Warner Bros., The Hangover, and I didn’t suddenly become a comedy factory producer, like, oh, let’s just churn out movies. Bradley [Cooper] and I have a production company at Warners. I’ve been at Warners for 15, 16 years. We have two things in development at all times, not 40 things like some people. I’m not the kind of guy who goes marching in saying I want these 40 titles. I just don’t have the energy.”

Though, that’s not to say Phillips has never been ambitious. When he first pitched Joker a few years back, he was interested in a label where they focused on origin stories. 

“When I pitched them ‘Joker,’ it wasn’t a movie, it was, let’s do a whole label,” Phillips said. “They shut that down quickly and I get it. Who am I to walk in and start a label at a film studio? But they said, let’s do this one.”

So, what’s the current status? Phillips says there are no deals in place and no sequel currently being developed — for now.

“Well, a movie doesn’t make a billion dollars and they don’t talk about a sequel,” Phillips said. “Joaquin and I have publicly said we’ve been talking about a sequel since week two of shooting because it’s a fun thing to talk about. But the [THR] article was referring to other things than that that were just frankly untrue. I don’t know how it gets started, if it’s some assistant trying to gain street cred with a writer.”

“Here’s the real truth about a sequel,” Phillips continued. “While Joaquin and I have talked about it, and while touring the world with Warner Bros executives — going to Toronto, and Venice, and other places — of course, we’re sitting at dinner and they’re saying, ‘So, have you thought about…?’ But, talking about contracts, there’s not a contract for us to even write a sequel, we’ve never approached Joaquin to be in a sequel. Will that happen? Again, I just think the article was anticipatory at best.”

With all this being said…how long do you think it’ll be until we do start hearing legit talks about contracts for a Joker sequel? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: IndieWire, Deadline, THR