Joker director Todd Phillips says he would like to see a film about Batman set in the same big screen version of Gotham City as his own DC movie. Phillips’ extremely popular (and more than a little divisive) comic book adaptation actually sets the stage for the rise of the Caped Crusader during its own third act. The film climaxes with a riot breaking out in Gotham, spurred on by its protagonist, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), having murdered talk show host Murray Franklin (Robert DeNiro) on-air. During all of the chaos, Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) and his wife are gunned down in an alley, leaving their young son Bruce to grow up parentless and become, well, you-know-who.

As such, many people have left Joker wondering what Batman would look like in the movie’s universe - assuming, of course, you believe this version of Gotham and most of the film’s events actually happened in-universe, and were not merely something Arthur imagined while locked away in a psychiatric institution (like the one he’s shown in during the final scene). They’re not alone either, as Phillips has admitted he’s curious about that very same thing.

Speaking to Variety at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Phillips talked about Joker’s version of Gotham, calling it “beautiful” before adding “What I would like to see someone tackle is what Batman looks like from that Gotham”. He quickly clarified he didn’t mean he wanted to direct the film himself, saying “What was interesting to me about the inclusion of Batman in our movie was, ‘What kind of Batman does that Gotham make?’ That’s all I meant by that”.

Even Joker’s detractors have admitted the film’s version of Gotham City is a fascinating one brought to visually striking life by cinematographer Lawrence Sher and production designer Mark Friedberg (and their many, many collaborators). It could be equally interesting to see what the Caped Crusader is like after growing up on the extra mean streets of that metropolis, and how he deals with the inequality and crime that makes it what it is. But again, whoever were to make such a spinoff would have to interpret Joker’s intentionally ambiguous ending one way or another to continue its story. And depending on how they go about doing that, it could make for either a truly unique DC Comics adaptation or just another Batman movie (of which there are several already).

Either way, it feels safe to assume Phillips wouldn’t be the one to tackle the film (like he said). The director claims he hasn’t even talked to Phoenix about a proper Joker 2 just yet, in spite of the previous reports and rumors that would have you believe the sequel is sure to happen. And with Matt Reeves’ The Batman (which, unlike Joker, is part of the DCEU) due to arrive in 2021, odds are Warner Bros. would be extra hesitant about green-lighting a Batman spinoff of Joker around the same time, no matter who was working on it. Still, seeing as Joker grossed over $1 billion at the box office, there’s a legitimate chance its version of Gotham will return to the big screen one day, with or without the Dark Knight.

Source: Variety

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