Joker: Folie à Deux’s Ending Came From a Scrapped Idea for the First Film

Joker: Folie à Deux whitethorn person been a surprise damp squib astatine the container bureau this weekend, but its ending has gotten radical talking careless if they went retired to spot the sequel oregon not. And arsenic arguable a decision arsenic it is, seemingly we astir got thing akin successful the archetypal film’s climax… if not for a purported refusal from Christopher Nolan himself.

Folie à Deux climaxes with an imprisoned Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), his proceedings concluded and awaiting the decease sentence, being stabbed to decease by a chap inmate. As Arthur bleeds out, successful the obscured inheritance we spot the inmate statesman to cackle successful a Joker-ish manner, earlier taking the weapon to their ain look and seemingly carving a smiling scar on their mouth, akin to the quality of Heath Ledger’s Joker successful The Dark Knight. As 1 Joker falls, different metaphorically rises. But a caller study suggests that a mentation of that arguable infinitesimal astir came to walk successful Todd Phillips’ original Joker movie.

As portion of a caller study astatine the Hollywood Reporter discussing the fallout of Folie à Deux‘s container bureau flop, the commercialized cites a root that alleged that the archetypal publication for the archetypal Joker concluded with Arthur, lasting earlier his gathered supporters, scarring himself successful that acquainted grin pattern. However, the thought was scrapped—not astatine Phillips’ behest, oregon adjacent Warner Bros.’, but 1 of the studio’s different premier directors astatine the time, Christopher Nolan, who purportedly believed that lone the precocious Heath Ledger’s incarnation of the Joker should beryllium distinguished by the grin scar.

At the clip of the first Joker, Nolan and Warner Bros. had an incredibly choky relationship—a narration that would past distinctly sour successful the aftermath of the 2020 covid-19 pandemic, erstwhile the manager balked astatine Warner Bros.’ plans to enactment its 2021 theatrical slate on streaming time and date done the studio’s level Max (then known by its afloat name, HBO Max). Already frustrated by the theatrical rollout of his time-bending film Tenet done Warner successful 2020, Nolan was 1 of the astir vociferous and notable directors who publically lambasted the decision. Breaking his accepted organisation narration with Warner Bros., helium took his critically acclaimed smash hit Oppenheimer to Universal past year.

All that means that by the clip that Folie à Deux was rolling around, Nolan wasn’t precisely successful astatine Warner Bros. with the sway to nix astatine slightest someone getting scarred successful the movie’s climax. Would the infinitesimal person been much arguable if it was Arthur’s Joker scarring himself, oregon is the chaotic ending twist much astir however it sharply takes him retired of the picture? We’ll ne'er cognize now, but 1 thing’s for certain—don’t inquire Chris Nolan however helium feels astir it, helium almost decidedly won’t archer you.

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