5 Directions Joker 2 Could Take

The unprecedented success of Joker has created a whole host of opportunities for R-rated comic book movies. DC produced a sub-hundred million dollar thriller that granted them over a billion dollars for their trouble, so making a sequel should be one of their top priorities.

Director Todd Phillips has made it clear that he has not signed a contract with Warner Bros. to direct a follow-up. However, money talks and there is a heap of cash left on the table if Joker 2 isn't in the pipeline. Aside from the obvious financial incentive, there is a breadth of creative freedom that comes with a second instalment.

Joker was a period piece that played things vaguely, leaving so many options with a revisit to the character. The direction of the traditional comic book narrative could be the road they take, or the formula might be shook up and turned on its head once more.

Do we simply get a straight forward narrative continuation? Do things get slightly abstract? Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling with Joker 2.

It's an obvious choice but not one to rule out. The Joker can exist as his own character as the first film demonstrates, but he is still a villain. He needs his greatest adversary to give him purpose.

A young Bruce Wayne plays a minor role in Joker, establishing that the boy who will become Batman exists in this universe. What's more, his parents are gunned down by one of Arthur Fleck's acolytes during the movie's climax. Bruce has already been set on that path towards donning the cowl and cape with a ready-made enemy waiting for him.

Batman might stand for justice, but he still has to be driven by something. As carnal and primitive a motivator as it is, revenge against Joker and his followers is a perfect psychological driver for young Master Wayne to become 'The Dark Knight'. The big question is which Batman shows up? Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson are working on their own interpretetation. Whether or not The Batman ends up being a part of DC's cinematic universe remains to be seen. If it's standalone in the same vein as Joker, what reason is there to not merge the two narratives?

Arthur would be a good 35 years older than Bruce, so The Joker has to be in his 60s if Batman is around Pattinson's age. This doesn't pose a problem though. The Joker is a schemer and manipulator, he can torment someone no matter how old he is.