The release of Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to returning director Todd Phillips’ 2019 hit Joker, has prompted numerous discussions from fans and critics. The follow-up once again revolves around Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker character, Arthur Fleck, though he now has a romantic interest in the form of Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn.
It’s a sequel that further examines Phoenix’s character, something which was an uncertainty given Phillips’ initial lack of interest in directing a sequel. Now, however, while speaking with Variety – he opens up about the new film and how it offers new context for Arthur Fleck.
In particular, Phillips insists that Arthur Fleck was never the Joker in these films. Here’s the full statement as shared by Phillips:
“He’s always been Arthur Fleck; he’s never been this thing that’s been put upon him, this idea that Gotham people put on him, that he represents. He’s an unwitting icon. This thing was placed on him, and he doesn’t want to live as a fake anymore — he wants to be who he is.”
He adds that Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn also comes to understand that Arthur Fleck was never the Joker:
“The sad thing is, he’s Arthur, and nobody cares about Arthur,” Phillips said. “[She’s] realizing, ‘I’m on a whole other trip, man. You can’t be what I wanted you to be.’”
For fans that might be considering otherwise (spoilers ahead), leaning into the unreliable narrator theory, it appears that’s not the case. Todd Phillips insists that the final scene between Arthur Fleck and Harleen “Lee” Quinzel is, in fact, real. It’s certainly a bold direction to take the character, and furthermore, one that seems to be having a negative impact on the film as it struggles to earn a profit at the box office.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional Joker news as we have it. For now, it seems as though Joker 2 is going to be one incredibly divisive venture for fans of the original.