“They Shouldn’t Have Let You Cook Man”: Todd Phillips Confirms James Gunn Was Not Involved With ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Production

Joker: Folie à Deux premiered yesterday to a largely negative response from both critics and fans. The film received a “D” CinemaScore, marking the lowest rating for any superhero movie. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently sits at a dismal 33% approval rating from both critics and audiences.

Surprisingly, every time I check the score, it seems to be dropping further, officially earning the title of “certified rotten.” The box office outlook is bleak, as the film only grossed $7 million in pre-release screenings, which is lower than the first installment, especially concerning given that it had three times the budget of the original, now reported at $200 million.

The negative reception largely stems from the film being a musical with a confusing storyline. Despite both Lady Gaga and Todd Phillips insisting that it is not a musical, it undeniably is, and unfortunately, it fails to deliver.

With James Gunn and Peter Safran currently serving as co-CEOs of DC Studios, it’s expected that they would have some level of involvement in all DC-related films released by Warner Bros. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case with Joker: Folie à Deux.

Phillips, in a somewhat smug manner, confirmed that James Gunn had no role in the film, stating that the new head of DC Studios had no impact on the project at all, as it aligns more closely with a Warner Bros. film than a DC one.

With all due respect to [Gunn and Safran], This is kind of a Warner Brothers movie, and that’s them also wanting it to be like, ‘Okay, Todd did his thing. Let Todd continue to do his thing.

Source Slash Film

Silver noted that the film had already entered production before Gunn and Safran were appointed as co-heads of DC Studios, suggesting that Folie à Deux was in development prior to the formation of the new department.

It’s evident that Joker: Folie à Deux is neither a DCU movie nor does it fit within the Batman Epic Crime Saga universe that Matt Reeves is skillfully building. Fans were relieved to hear this, and honestly, so are we.

In any case, it seems unlikely that Joker: Folie à Deux will see much improvement in its ratings, as only 27% of those surveyed said they would recommend the film to others.

What are your thoughts on the movie? Share your opinions in the comments below!