Joker 2 receives 33% on Rotten Tomatoes as director claims he’s ‘done with DC’

Why so serious?

The film debuted to a 59% score on Rotten Tomatoes following its much anticipated premiere at the prestigious Venice Film Festival where it reportedly earned an 11-minute standing ovation.

The sequel to 2019’s two-time Oscar-winner Joker sees Joaquin Phoenix reprise his role as the Clown Prince of Crime, alongside new addition to the cast Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn.

The plot synopsis states that Joker: Folie à Deux finds “Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) institutionalised at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker”.

“While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that’s always been inside him,” it adds.

However, it would appear that director Todd Phillips has decided to face the music and step down from directing films for the comic franchise after Joker 2 hit a new low at 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The 53-year-old who directed both Joker films was quizzed by The Hollywood Reporter about whether he would continue to produce films in the DC universe, notably a Harley Quinn spin-off, however, Phillips did not appear keen.

He said: "It’s not really where this movie is headed for me. I feel like my time in the DC Universe was these two films."

Meanwhile Phillips spoke about how he managed to get Lady Gaga on board with the film in the first place.

He said: "I think we sent her half the script, and she texted me pretty quickly that she was really into it, that she loved it and everything you want to hear.

“And then I went out to her house, and we met about what it was going to be, the rest of it, because we hadn’t written it yet. [Co-writer] Scott Silver and I are notoriously slow writers.”

Lady Gaga spoke about how the music she wrote in the companion album to the film helped her to process the darkness of the film and play the villainous Harley Quinn.

She said: "I think that creatively exploring this music and this character was a really special experience.

"It was a navigation around some private dark moments in my life that I might not have really wanted to share and in this arena and in this film and in this story, it was just like the perfect place to put everything.”

Well, it would appear Lady Gaga really lived her role as the Joker's right-hand woman and even if Phillips decides his time is up in the DC universe, who knows, we could see the popular singer return as Harley Quinn in the near future.