‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is full of surprises, though not all of them were well-received. However, one behind-the-scenes revelation that didn’t make it into the final film could have offered a unique twist: Justin Theroux nearly portrayed Arthur Fleck, or at least, a version of him. Director Todd Phillips recently shared in an interview with IGN that he had planned to film segments of a fictional TV movie about Arthur’s life, with Theroux playing the Joker in a meta, movie-within-a-movie scenario.
Theroux, who made a brief cameo in the original ‘Joker’ as actor Ethan Chase, was initially approached by Phillips to take on the role. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, the idea didn’t materialize. Phillips confirmed that Theroux was his first choice for the part, saying, “I talked to Justin about it. We were going to shoot a trailer at one point, but we just ran out of time.”
Image Courtesy: People
In the 2019 ‘Joker’ film, Theroux’s character, Ethan Chase, appeared on Murray Franklin’s talk show, putting him near the chaos that unfolded, which led to Arthur Fleck’s downfall and eventual imprisonment at Arkham. This made Theroux a fitting choice to portray a fictionalized version of the Joker.
Despite this intriguing behind-the-scenes concept, ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ hasn’t been well received by audiences or critics. The film earned a rare D CinemaScore, a sign that viewers were not pleased with what they saw. While the first film was a gritty, psychological drama, the sequel is a mix of genres, blending musical elements with courtroom drama and fantasy. Many reviewers, including Collider’s Martin Tsai, were less than impressed.
–Farheen Ali