There's some new news surrounding the Joker sequel and it includes an official release
date and info on the film's primary setting.
In this video, I'm going to be covering everything that was revealed, giving my thoughts towards
this and also sharing my reaction to other DC news that has caue quite the uproar.
But before I get into it, if you want to keep up to date
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But without further a do, lets dive into the all the recent
Joker 2 and DC Film news.
So the Joker sequel which is currently titled Joker: Folie à Deux has some new updates
thanks to The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap, who have revealed an official release date
and news on the setting.
When it comes to the setting, apparently, Joker 2 mostly takes place inside of Arkham
State Hospital, which is used to house Gotham City's criminally insane.
We also learnt that the production is set to begin
later this year and that the film has a set release date of October the 4th 2024, when
it releases in theatres.
So just over two years away from release and I'm guessing that the Matt
Reeves Batman sequel will also be coming out during that year or 2025 at the latest.
That's just me predicting, but if they do come out
closer together, then that would be a big double bill to have in the space of a single
year.
But coming back to the Joker sequel, the Folie A Deux subtitle that we learnt of before,
reflected that this film would be tackling a "shared psychosis," with that of Arthur
Fleck and Harley Quinn both being involved.
And this became even more likely when we learnt that
Academy award nominated actress Lady Gaga was set to play Harley Quinn in a musical
sequel.
Of course the original Joker ended with Arthur being captured by the police, put in Arkham
State Hospital and then a final shot gave us a dreamlike look at a potential escape.
That was clearly all in his head, and with The Wrap reporting that a lot of Joker 2 takes
place inside of Arkham Asylum, it makes complete
sense.
So it seems like we're going to be getting a study on the delusion or mental illness
shared by two people in close association, likely
being Fleck's relationship with Harley Quinn inside the walls of Arkham.
So what do I think of this and am I looking forward to Joker 2 with all of this recent
news.
Well to be honest, when it comes to DC films like Matt Reeves The Batman or Todd Phillips
Joker, those are the projects that interest me the most.
I've got to a point with the MCU and DCEU films where I just think we're getting way
too much content, and much of it is similar to what we've had before.
Now granted there are a few universe projects that come out that surprise me and do things
different creativily.
But there's so many examples recently, specifically from Marvel's phase 4 that just
don't feel like films I'm going to watch and enjoy long term.
That's just my opinion and I understand that everyone has a completely
different outlook.
Saying that the Black Panther Wakanda Forever trailer did excite me surrounding that project
and hopefully the tone of the film is in line with that first look.
But when it comes to The Batman film and the original
Joker, these had the advantage of not having to connect tonally or narratively to what
we've seen before.
They could just make the film and build the world the way they wanted too,
and that's why for a lot of people, those films were incredibly successful.
And we can presume that sequels are going to have that same level
of creative input, especially when you consider the previous news that Joker 2 is going to
be a dark musical.
We haven't really had that before in the comic book genre and it excites me
that these types of films are bringing a unique flair that stands out over the many traditional
comic book projects we get ever year.
That's just my thoughts on it and hearing that
Joker 2 is coming out in just over 2 years and that it's being set in the walls of the
Arkham Asylum, get's me incredibly excited for it.
I guess will see, but I really hope that DC look
at the success they've had here and focus more on making great films like those examples,
rather than just trying to build a universe that competes with Marvel.
One more topic that I wanted to discuss is one I haven't really had the chance to this
week with all the other videos I've been making, is the news that HBO Max have cancelled the
Batgirl film that was due to be released on the platform.
Batgirl was planned as a HBO Max original film, reportedly releasing at the end of this
year.
Principal photography had finished with post-production work having
ended soon after.
However, in a shock move that stunned fans and industry workers, Warner Bros and HBO
Max decided to cancel Batgirl, with no plans to release it theatrically or on streaming.
Despite having the film mostly done the Batgirl movie cancellation is quite a rare thing to
see, and the news has obviously caused a wide range of reactions from fans, in which
many are frustrated, while others are in favor of it for various reasons.
I personally think that any film or streaming movie or artistic
endeaver being cancelled with not many key reasons included, is definitely something
to raise your eyebrows at.
Now do I agree with the new Warner Bros leadership on films of this
budget focussing on theatrical releases.
Yes I do and I think that the evidence we have from the way films have been successful
in theatres vs them putting movies on HBO Max at the same
time, is not even up for debate at this point.
The theatrical releases without HBO Max releases have overwhelmingly been more successful and
people will turn up to theatres to watch a good film.
Realeasing them on HBO Max will lose the studios a lot of money and their experiment with that
did not work.
But in saying that, while I completely agree with their theatrical
approach going forward, axeing a film that has already been shot and put together, is
quite crazy to think about.
The rumour coming out of sources is that the film is was cancelled
because the studio had that desire to push films on a blockbuster scale in theatres.
But in throwing a way a film that was worth $70 million or even $90 million after COVID,
you're still losing any chance of gaining that back.
I don't know but it just seems crazy to me this has just been cancelled out of no where.
And as I say, I'm someone who supports theatrical filmmaking and what Warner Bros are trying
to do with that now after the mistakes they made before.
But as I say, I can't defend that kind of behaviour from a studio that also was
supposed to be one of the best for artistic integrity.
It's baffles me and while I like the direction they are taking with spending time to build
a plan and trying to compete etc etc, it annoys me when stuff happens like this,
because it makes you have zero trust in the respect that this studio shows their filmmakers.
In fact I'm one of the rare people who actually supports both the synderverse and Matt Reeves
new Batman film, and the reason I supported both of them was because they making director
driven films, and the studio they worked for greenlit those projects with confidence in
them delivering that.
With us then seeing the outcome of the synderverse and what happened there, add on that they
axe a $70 million film after it's mostly complete, and it makes me
distrust the whole structure in place.
Has anything really changed.
But I guess we'll see if they can regain this trust and create some kind
of communication and clarity that they just haven't shown consistently.
It's a controversial subject and as someone who used to be a big fan of Warner Bros, I
just hope this isn't a sign of more rash decisions to come.
But that was my video discussing all the news surrounding Joker 2 and the cancellation of
Batgirl.
It's going to be interesting to see what route DC do go with their films and series
under the new ownership, and like I said, I'm personally really excited about the Joker
and Batman sequels.
The DCEU stuff is lagging behind for me and it's the same when it comes to
the plethora of announced projects by Marvel.
I think we need more creativity in these films especially with the amount we're getting every
year alongside the list of streaming series too.
But yes, Joker 2 and The Batman 2 are the ones that are being driven by auteur filmmakers
and if we're to base anything of the first films, then we'll hopefully get compelling
takes with the sequels too.
But I'm interested to hear what you guys think towards all the recent announcements and crazy
updates, so let me know down below in the comments section.
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