A new report revealed that Joker: Folie à Deux's controversial ending was originally planned for the first film.
Since its release, the sequel has been heavily criticized by both critics and fans, especially its ending as they felt that it was a betrayal to the audience who have followed Arthur Fleck's journey from the very beginning.
While ending a movie like that might be seen as bold and gutsy, it is clear that the general audience has rejected the idea and it has become the subject of online discourse with different interpretations on what it might have implied.
Joker: Folie à Deux's Ending Was Originally Intended for the First Film
According to a new report that explored the sequel's disastrous box office performance, the controversial ending of Joker: Folie à Deux was originally planned for the first film.
To recap, the sequel ended with an Arkham Asylum inmate (played by Jacob Lofland) repeatedly stabbing Arthur in the abdomen and carving a smile on his face. He laughed hysterically as Arthur bleeds to death.
As it turns out, it was supposed to be the ending of the first film. The original script saw Arthur (who was embracing his Joker persona) carving his face in front of a crowd of his supporters.
However, The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan, who was still working for Warner Bros. at that time, killed the idea as he believed that Heath Ledger's Joker should be the only one who carved his face.
With Nolan no longer at Warner Bros. by the time the sequel was being made, the filmmakers felt that they had the freedom to do the original ending that they wanted to do.
It is hard to say whether the first film's original ending may been accepted by the audience better, but most fans who watched the sequel have explained that their displeasure toward the ending was due to how it turned Arthur into a meaningless character.
The discourse will continue in the coming days as more analyses are coming regarding the film and more fans weigh in on the film and the aftermath of its fate, which is as tragic as Arthur's ending.
Joker: Folie à Deux is showing in theaters everywhere.
What do you think of the film's controversial ending? Let us know in the comments!
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