Don’t get your hopes up for Joker 3, as Todd Phillips says, “I think we’ve said what we wanted to say”

I doubt many expected Joker to be quite the success that it was, but after grossing over $1 billion worldwide (the first R-rated film to do so), it was only natural that there would be talk of a sequel. With a musical flair, Joker: Folie À Deux isn’t the follow-up fans were expecting, but it looks to be another engrossing deep dive into the madness of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), complete with an animated opening sequence. We’re still a month and change away from the release of Joker: Folie À Deux, but some are already wondering if Joker 3 is in the cards.

Anything could happen, but I’d keep those expectations in check. Joker director Todd Phillips told Variety, “It was fun to play in this sort of sandbox for two movies, but I think we’ve said what we wanted to say in this world.” So, even if the sequel grosses another billion dollars, the chances of Joker 3 happening are slim. Plus, it was something of a minor miracle that Joaquin Phoenix returned for more, as he has never done a sequel before.

Although Arthur and Lee (Lady Gaga) frequently break into songs such as Get Happy, For Once in My Life, and That’s Life, Phillips isn’t totally sold on labelling the sequel as a full-blown musical. “Most of the music in the movie is really just dialogue,” Phillips said. “It’s just Arthur not having the words to say what he wants to say, so he sings them instead.” Phillips added, “I just don’t want people to think that it’s like ‘In the Heights,’ where the lady in the bodega starts to sing and they take it out onto the street, and the police are dancing. No disrespect, because I loved ‘In the Heights.’“

In addition to Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie À Deux also stars Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Harry Lawtey. Zazie Beetz also returns to reprise her role as Sophie Dumond from the first movie, a love interest for Arthur. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but it’s been said that much of the sequel will take place within Arkham Asylum, which is where we left Arthur in the last film. Joker: Folie à Deux will hit theaters on October 4th.