The King of Comedy, a choice met with criticism by some.
But that has led to Redditors, somewhat half-jokingly, debating what Scorsese-directed movie Joker 2 should be influenced by. Even though a couple of ideas come off as sarcasm, the s still make some great points, and who doesn't want to see Arthur Fleck dressed in the gilded glamour of the 1870s?
The Irishman (2019)
The Irishman was released in the same year as Joker and it's Scorsese's most recently released film, so it hasn't exactly reached the classic status that so many other of his movies have. However, at three hours and 20 minutes and spanning several decades, it's easily the filmmaker's most ambitious project to date.
Wazula42 thinks Joker 2 could follow The Irishman's ambition, explaining, "It's all about an aging Arthur Fleck ing his early days beating up Batman," which is just like how Frank recalls his time working for Jimmy Hoffa and the mob. That could actually work well, as the sequel could be set years in the future with Arthur reciting stories back to the psychiatrist in Arkham Asylum, just like he was at the end of the first movie.
Goodfellas (1990)
The Godfather Part II, it'd be considered the best gangster movie of all time. GarlVinyard4Astrea thinks Joker 2 could borrow from the 1990 movie and makes the interesting observation that there are some weird parallels between Arthur and Tommy.
The Redditor simply repeats Tommy's line, "Funny how?" They're referring to when Tommy gets angry at the gang for laughing at him, and though it turns out to be a joke, it's a great example of his erratic behavior. And as Arthur has his own group of followers at the end of Joker, a sequel could see him losing control of them as the GD apply more pressure on him, until he finally rats on them. Arthur will probably narrate it too.
The Departed (2006)
The Departed, Joker will play the role of the other Joker." In the 2006 gangster movie, Jack Nicholson, who also played Joker in Tim Burton's 1989's Batman plays Frank Costello. While the Redditor is simply playing actor association, Frank isn't just a gangster, but an evil psychopath who murders people and cuts off their limbs for fun.
Frank is chaotic, sinister, and totally has Joker energy. And as Arthur going full-Joker didn't happen in the 2019 film, it's something fans want to see in the sequel, so Nicholson's portrayal of the mobster could be a great source of inspiration.
After Hours (1985)
The Wolf of Wall Street-type humor, but the comedy is surreal.
KorovaMilk113 genuinely thinks that the 1985 movie is a perfect foundation for Joker 2. The Redditor posits, "it's a dark comedy about 12 hours of The Joker's life after a crime of some kind goes wrong." There's a chance that Phillips was already influenced by the film for Joker, as the rainy, dark depiction of New York in the 2019 movie is identical to Scorsese's comedy, and Arthur dropping the gun in the children's hospital is After Hours-esque comedy.
Shutter Island (2010)
Joker 2 will take place in Arkham.
Though Shutter Island doesn't have a distinctly '80s aesthetic, the film follows Teddy, a detective who tries to solve the mystery of a missing patient in a psychiatric hospital. The 2010 release has one of the most surprising movie twists, as it's revealed that Teddy is that patient.
New York, New York (1977)
While Scorsese generally throws himself into screenplays all about criminal underworlds, New York, New York is a more easygoing, low-stakes, and digestible film. OofersIII thinks that Joker 2's influence will be "New York New York, duh." The 1977 movie is the director's only musical, which might seem strange to use as the foundation for a Joker sequel.
However, it has been announced that Joker 2 will be a musical. New York, New York is also a romance, and given how the sequel will include Harley too, the Redditor seems to have nailed it. But the musical numbers in the sequel will likely be way more spectacular, as they probably take place in Arthur's head. And it's less likely that Arthur and Harley will be performing dirty jazz clubs together like Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli.
Casino (1995)
Casino." Just like Joker and Harley, Ginger was Ace's criminal sidekick in Casino, and they both loved each other, but because of their big personalities, it was a toxic relationship that was doomed from the start.
Given that Harley is a psychiatrist in Arkham Asylum when she and Joker first meet, it's unlikely that Joker 2 will depict them meeting, forming a relationship, and becoming the Bonnie and Clyde-like criminals they're known as in just one film. But it would be great to see the duo galavant around Gotham committing all sorts of imaginable crimes, as that's never been depicted on the big screen before.
Bringing Out The Dead (1999)
Joshi38 notes, "Personally, I'd prefer Bringing Out the Dead." But as Bringing Out the Dead is all about a paramedic who slowly loses his mind and ends up committing devastating acts, there are already similarities between the 1999 movie and the first Joker. If Joker 2 was based on the psychological drama, it'd simply be repeating the same beats as the first film.
However, one element of Bringing Out the Dead could be interesting if it was implemented into Joker 2. In the film, the paramedic hallucinates about the people he couldn't save. Joker 2 could see Arthur having hallucinations of Murray Franklin and the yuppies he killed on the train, and that could turn him further into the Joker that fans know.
Mean Streets (1973)
Mean Streets, which was Scorsese's breakthrough movie and established his style. The film is set in a grubby-looking New York, is about gangster lifestyles and conflicts, and features loveable but criminal protagonists.
As Arthur influenced a whole movement and riots in Joker, a Mean Streets-based Joker 2 could work well. The rioters and Arthur-inspired criminals could find themselves in fights with each other and the movement could end up becoming a civil war amongst smaller pockets of gangs.
The Age Of Innocence (1993)
Scorsese's best book-to-movie adaptations. The Redditor mentions, "It’ll be a Joker period piece in the vein of The Age of Innocence." There's an extremely slim chance of this happening, but it'd still be fascinating to see come to life.
However, nobody would have ever thought that Joker 2 would have been a musical either, and with that in mind, it's totally possible that Arthur could imagine himself in a Gilded Age New York City. And as the Joker has taken on many different forms in the past, stranger things have happened.
