Todd Phillips wants 'Batman' film from 'Joker' world

Filmmaker Todd Phillips says he would like to see a "Batman" movie set in the Gotham City that he created for his blockbuster movie "Joker".

"It's a beautiful Gotham. What I would like to see someone tackle is what Batman looks like from that Gotham," variety.com quote Phillips as saying.

Phillips was quick to say that he wouldn't be the one to make that movie.

"I'm not saying I'm going to do that. What was interesting to me about the inclusion of Batman in our movie was, 'What kind of Batman does that Gotham make?' That's all I meant by that," he said.

"Joker" tells the story of the popular DC supervillain of the same name. The film traces the protagonist's early life as Arthur Fleck (essayed by Joaquin Phoenix), who is an aspiring stand-up comedian struggling to make ends meet and constantly derided by society. The film, released in India by Warner Bros. Pictures, narrates how circumstances push Fleck into the path of crime after he fails to find his way in Gotham's fractured society.

Phillips was originally adamant that "Joker" would be a one-off movie and would not cross over with Robert Pattinson's upcoming "The Batman" movie, but executives from Warner Bros. met him and co-writer Scott Silver about exploring possible ideas for a sequel late last year.

The sequel would have to meet the artistic standard of the original "Joker" it is an expectation that Phillips said he and star Phoenix have agreed on.

"This time I spent with Joaquin here, driving over last night, was the first time we hung out for a while, and we weren't talking about (a sequel). We both have the same kind of mandate, so we'll see," he said.

Last year, "Joker" became the first R-rated movie in history to earn more than $1 billion at the global box office, and it was the fourth of Warner Bros.' DC Comics films to hit the milestone. Phillips said that he and Phoenix weren't sure it would be such a big hit.

"The truth is we never knew it, honestly. Joaquin and I were operating at a place where we kept thinking, 'Let's just make something that doesn't end our careers'," Phillips said, adding: "We didn't have any thought it could actually be good. We were blinded by the movie somehow; this was a weird one."

( With inputs from IANS )