Todd Phillips is no stranger to making films that divide opinions, but if early leaks regarding Joker: Folie à Deux are anything to go by, he might have outdone himself.
Major leaks and possible spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux follow!
The reviews that have come out since the recent embargo lift have hinted at Arthur Fleck, a.k.a. Joker’s (Joaquin Phoenix) demise. Although there is no concrete confirmation regarding this information (the film opens for audiences on October 2, 2024), leaks from the movie’s preview screenings also point in the same direction.
As per the leaks, an explosion takes place in a courtroom towards the end of the film, in which Fleck narrowly escapes and reunites with his paramour, Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga). However, the reunion doesn’t exactly end on a happy note for him, as Quinzel decides to part ways after discovering that Fleck’s real personality is that of himself and not of the cynical Joker.
Fleck is apprehended by the police and sent back to Arkham Asylum to await his fate. At the facility, he runs into an inmate who offers to tell him a joke but instead stabs him fatally. Fleck falls to the ground and bleeds out, while the inmate breaks into a maniacal laugh, one that fans will likely recognize immediately.
In another plot twist, the inmate then goes on to carve a “Glasgow Smile” on his face, not too dissimilar to the one depicted in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. If true, this scene either establishes young actor Jacob Lofland and not Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker in Phillips’ universe, or the director intends to pass on an ambiguous message. The scene could also serve as a reminder that anyone can wear the sardonic smile and that the “concept” of The Joker is not restricted to one person.
Some fans have theorized that, should the leaks turn out to be accurate, the ending is potentially a precursor to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, and serves as the origin story of Heath Ledger’s version of Joker. However, at this point, this idea seems far-fetched and it is important to remember that Phillips’ Joker has never been confirmed to co-exist with Nolan’s version or Matt Reeves’ The Batman film series.
While Phillips has always maintained that his Joker films will not be accurate from the comics’ perspective, the film’s alleged conclusion does come across as superfluous. The director shows Fleck’s journey to becoming the masked maniac with dexterity in the first chapter, only to give it all up in the second act. A third film in the series hasn’t been confirmed yet, but if Lofland’s rumored version of the character doesn’t get a standalone, then the controversial ending is likely to continue getting panned by the fans.
As reported by /Film, it’s fair to say Phillips did hint about the movie’s potentially divisive ending at a pre-screening Q&A recently, mentioning that people who had watched the film until that point “sit and they don’t move for about three to five minutes.” The director also confirmed that Murray Franklin’s (Robert De Niro) murder and the incident “with those kids on the subway” in the first film were real while remaining tight-lipped on the other murders Fleck commits.
Phillips’ comments hint that a lot of the first film is a figment of Fleck’s imagination, a theme that may have carried over into the sequel, perhaps to its detriment.
Published: Sep 28, 2024 10:22 am