Joker may have left the Oscars with only one win out of its 11 nominations, but don’t feel to bad for it: It’s still one of last year’s biggest money gobblers, and a Best Actor win for Joaquin Phoenix is nothing to sneeze at. Besides, people are still wondering if this renegade spin-off-of-sorts should get a sequel or not. Director Todd Phillips has been cagey about it, but when asked about it on the red carpet at Sunday’s big ceremony, co-star Zazie Beetz took a slightly harder stance.
“I don’t know if it needs one,” the actress told MTV (via IndieWire). “There is a lot of strength in not milking something. Honestly, I feel like Todd would be the person to [make a sequel] tastefully. If he felt it needed one. I really trust him. He’s really creative and smart. So sure.”
So there you have it! Sort of! Beetz — who played Arthur Fleck’s neighbor and object of his affections — doesn’t think it’s necessary unless it is, and won’t do it unless Phillips comes up with a good reason for it to exist beyond the monetary.
That said, Phillips hasn’t ruled Joker 2 out. Though he was quick to shoot down rumors that he was working on it back in November, he did tell IndieWire he and Phoenix had semi-casually discussed a sequel while promoting the film, saying, “A movie doesn’t make a billion dollars and they don’t talk about a sequel.”
Meanwhile, he told The Los Angeles Times that they’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.”
Anyway, if we do get a Joker sequel and Zazie Beetz is in it, then you’ll know it isn’t a mere cash-in.
