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'Joker' director Todd Phillips has come forward to clear up the confusion between conflicting reports from The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline concerning a potential 'Joker' sequel. THR reported that Warner Bros. was ready to do a 'Joker' sequel and Phillips had a meeting with studio chairman Toby Emmerich to ask for the “rights to develop a portfolio of DC characters" origin stories.” Deadline reported back saying the meeting never happened and no deals were in place. IndieWire had the chance to speak with Phillips and the Director was open about clearing up the truth behind the rumors. As for the October 7th meeting and pitching additional DC origin stories, Phillips disputes THR’s reporting and says the writer “jumped the gun.” “I can honestly say to you there was no meeting that ever happened on October 7 where I marched in,” Phillips said. “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.” Phillips pitched Warner Bros. on doing a series of darker, more character-focused comic book films. “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.” As for the status of the 'Joker' sequel, Phillips maintains there are no deals in place nor is there a script being developed at this time. “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 said. “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.”

Did the director Todd Phillips do it or not do it? The Hollywood Reporter is exclusively reporting that 'Joker' director Todd Phillips walked into the Warner Bros. studios and sat down for talks about reprising his role as director for a second Joker film. Phillips would co-write the second film with the first Joker screenplay writer Scott Silver. THR is also claiming that sources have informed them that Phillips wants the rights to develop a portfolio of DC characters' origin stories. Even Warner Bros. wouldn't have to think twice since 'Joker' marks the fourth DC title to cross the $1 billion dollar mark and has sequel options in Joker star Joaquin Phoenix, who has emerged as a strong contender in the Oscar best actor race. Sounds too good to be true? That's what Deadline is saying by shooting down the story from THR. Deadline is reporting: Multiple sources are telling Deadline that THR falsely reported that Phillips met with Warner Bros film chief Toby Emmerich to pitch a portfolio of DC character origin stories. The truth is that Martin Scorsese contemplated directing the first Joker but later dropped out and Phillips never had an October meeting with Warner Bros. about doing additional movie follow-ups with other DC character films. No comments have been made by Todd Phillips as of this reporting.

Forever alone in a crowd, Arthur Fleck seeks connection. Yet, as he trods the sooted Gotham City streets and rides the graffitied mass transit rails of a hostile town teeming with division and dissatisfaction, Arthur wears two masks. One, he paints on for his day job as a clown. The other he can never remove; it’s the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel he’s a part of the world around him, and not the misunderstood man whom life is repeatedly beating down. Fatherless, Arthur has a fragile mother, arguably his best friend, who nicknamed him Happy, a moniker that’s fostered in Arthur a smile that hides the heartache beneath. But, when bullied by teens on the streets, taunted by suits on the subway, or simply teased by his fellow clowns at work, this social outlier only becomes even more out of sync with everyone around him. Directed, co-written and produced by Todd Phillips, “Joker” is the filmmaker’s original vision of the infamous DC villain, an origin story infused with, but distinctly outside, the character’s more traditional mythologies. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fractured society. Longing for any light to shine on him, he tries his hand as a stand-up comic, but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty and, ultimately, betrayal, Arthur makes one bad decision after another that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty, allegorical character study. Three-time Oscar nominee Phoenix (“The Master,” “Walk the Line,” “Gladiator”) stars in the titular role alongside Oscar winner Robert De Niro (“Raging Bull,” “The Godfather: Part II”). The film also stars Zazie Beetz (TV’s “Atlanta,” “Deadpool 2”), Frances Conroy (TV’s “American Horror Story,” Hulu’s “Castle Rock”), Brett Cullen (“42,” Netflix’s “Narcos”), Glenn Fleshler (TV’s “Billions,” “Barry”), Bill Camp (“Red Sparrow,” “Molly’s Game”), Shea Whigham (“First Man,” “Kong: Skull Island”), Marc Maron (TV’s “Maron,” “GLOW”), Douglas Hodge (“Red Sparrow,” TV’s “Penny Dreadful”), Josh Pais (upcoming “Motherless Brooklyn,” “Going in Style”) and Leigh Gill (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”). Oscar nominee Phillips (“Borat,” “The Hangover” trilogy) directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Oscar-nominated writer Scott Silver (“The Fighter”), based on characters from DC. The film was produced by Phillips and Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born,” “American Sniper”) under their Joint Effort banner, and Oscar nominee Emma Tillinger Koskoff (“The Wolf of Wall Street”). It was executive produced by Michael E. Uslan, Walter Hamada, Aaron L. Gilbert, Joseph Garner, Richard Baratta, and Bruce Berman. Behind the scenes, Phillips was joined by director of photography Lawrence Sher (“Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “The Hangover” trilogy), production designer Mark Friedberg (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Selma”), editor Jeff Groth (“War Dogs,” “The Hangover Part III”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Mark Bridges (“Phantom Thread,” “The Artist”). The music is by Hildur Guðnadóttir (HBO’s “Chernobyl,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado”). Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, in Association with BRON Creative, a Joint Effort Production, a Film by Todd Phillips, “Joker.”

Chris Hemsworth is saying his prayers and eating his vitamins as he has been cast in the role of wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan. The biopic will bring Todd Phillips back together with Scott Silver, the respective director and writer of the upcoming DC Comics movie The Joker. The script is being co-written by John Pollono with Silver. The project is in the midst of closing with Netflix. Producing will be Michael Sugar, who will produce via his Netflix-based Sugar23, and Phillips and Bradley Cooper, who will produce via their banner Joint Effort. Also producing will be Hemsworth, Eric Bischoff, Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman. The biopic will mainly focus on the rise of Hulk Hogan and is described as an origin story of the Hulkster and Hulkamania. Hogan, real name Terry Gene Bollea will act as a consultant on the movie as well as executive producer. The character and name of Hulk Hogan is one of the biggest in wrestling as his career in the late 1970s in the Florida wrestling circuit, and when he started in the WWF, he frequently squared off against Andre the Giant as a villainous fighter. When Vince McMahon took over the company and began expanding it into a national presence, Hogan was its face and by then a hero persona. By the end of the '80s, he was one of the Me Decade’s key personalities, gracing magazine covers, appearing on nightly talk shows and even headlining a Saturday morning cartoon. In the 21st century, however, Hogan’s fortunes were see-sawing as personal conflicts overtook those inside the ring. Most notably, he was embroiled in a sex tape scandal, with the wife of a friend and radio personality, including a years-long lawsuit that precipitated the end of Gawker and led to Hogan receiving tens of millions of dollars in a settlement. Source: THR

Principal photography has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Joker,” starring Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix in the title role, alongside Oscar winner Robert De Niro, and directed, produced and co-written by Oscar nominee Todd Phillips. “Joker” centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale. The film also stars Zazie Beetz (“Deadpool 2”), Bill Camp (“Red Sparrow,” “Molly’s Game”), Frances Conroy (TV’s “American Horror Story,” Hulu’s “Castle Rock”), Brett Cullen (“42,” Netflix’s “Narcos”), Glenn Fleshler (TV’s “Billions,” “Barry”), Douglas Hodge (“Red Sparrow,” TV’s “Penny Dreadful”), Marc Maron (TV’s “Maron,” “GLOW”), Josh Pais (upcoming “Motherless Brooklyn,” “Going in Style”), and Shea Whigham (upcoming “First Man,” “Kong: Skull Island”). Phillips (“The Hangover” trilogy) directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with writer Scott Silver (“The Fighter”), based on characters from DC. The film is being produced by Phillips and Bradley Cooper under their Joint Effort banner, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff. It is executive produced by Richard Baratta, Joseph Garner and Bruce Berman. Behind the scenes, Phillips is joined by director of photography Lawrence Sher (upcoming “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “The Hangover” trilogy), production designer Mark Friedberg (“Selma,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”), editor Jeff Groth (“War Dogs,” “The Hangover Part III”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Mark Bridges (“Phantom Thread,” “The Artist”). A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, in Association with BRON Creative, a Joint Effort Production, “Joker” is set for release October 4, 2019, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.