James Gunn and Peter Safran Not Involved in 'Joker: Folie à Deux'

James Gunn and Peter Safran have taken on the roles of co-heads at DC Studios, but their involvement did not extend to the production of 'Joker: Folie à Deux,' directed by Todd Phillips. During a recent Q&A session, Phillips clarified that Gunn and Safran were intentionally excluded from the discussions surrounding the film. This decision was made because 'Folie à Deux' was deemed a Warner Bros. project rather than a DC Studios venture, thus falling outside their jurisdiction.

"With all due respect to [Gunn and Safran], this is essentially a Warner Brothers movie, and they wanted it to be seen as, 'Okay, Todd did his thing. Let Todd continue to do his thing,'" Phillips explained, as reported by Slash Film. Co-writer Scott Silver also noted that 'Folie à Deux' commenced production before Gunn and Safran were appointed as co-heads of DC Studios in October 2022. The first 'Joker' film was released in 2019.

Despite their exclusion from the production process, Gunn and Safran were given the opportunity to view a cut of 'Folie à Deux' before its release. Phillips emphasized that 'Folie à Deux' is not considered a 'DC proper' film. Instead, Phillips' 'Joker' series and Matt Reeves' 'The Batman' franchise are part of the DC Elseworlds label, which operates independently of the official DC canon. This setup allows filmmakers the creative freedom to produce content without affecting the broader DC universe.

In contrast, Gunn and Safran are overseeing the mainline DC movie series, which includes upcoming releases such as 2025's 'Superman' and 2026's 'Supergirl.' 'Folie à Deux' is currently in theaters, having grossed over $120 million worldwide in its opening weekend. However, the film's box office performance is notably lagging behind that of its predecessor, which went on to earn over $1 billion globally. It was never anticipated that 'Folie à Deux' would match the success of the original film.

For a deeper analysis of 'Folie à Deux,' including its controversial and shocking ending, check out GameSpot's comprehensive breakdown.