Director Todd Phillips is reportedly working on a screenplay for the sequel of Joaquin Phoenix-starrer

Despite his repeated denials, it seems Joaquin Phoenix is coming back as the Joker in another film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Todd Phillips, who directed the actor is billion dollar blockbuster Joker, has started working on a sequel that will further explore the story of the iconic DC villain. [caption id=“attachment_7447591” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Joaquin Phoenix as Joker. Twitter[/caption] Sources said the sequel to Joker is “on the way” with Phillips returning as director. He will write the screenplay to the second part along with co-writer Scott Silver. The outlet reports that Phillips, buoyed by the opening weekend score of the film, approached Warner Bros Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich to pitch for a sequel. He is said to have proposed to develop a host of origins of other prominent DC characters. Both Phillips and Warner Bros have declined to comment at the moment. Phoenix had previously expressed that he did not desire to reprise the role of Arthur Fleck in another film. “I wouldn’t just do a sequel just because the first movie is successful, that’s ridiculous,” he had told LA Times’ The Envelope. Joker, which recently entered $1 billion club to become the highest-grossing R-rated film ever , is generating strong Oscar buzz for Phoenix. While the actor received rave reviews for his portrayal of the iconic character, the film has faced flak amid fears that it could trigger violence. Besides Phoenix, Joker also featured Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais, and Shea Whigham. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)