Joker director Todd Phillips took no salary — but could make $147 million from movie

Joker director Todd Phillips took a big risk on the film, refusing to accept a salary for his work. It’s a risk that will pay off handsomely.

Joker director Todd Phillips took a risk on his comic-villain origin story and it has paid off in a big way.

The filmmaker reportedly chose not to accept a salary upfront and instead wanted a larger percentage of the movie’s success at the box office, THR reports.

The deal was reportedly for 10 per cent to 13 per cent of the back-end, and with the DC Comics film just crossing $1.4 billion last week, Phillips reportedly stands to make around $147 million for his work.

Joaquin Phoenix in Joker.

Now, because of the tremendous financial success of Joker and Oscar-buzz for lead actor Joaquin Phoenix, there are also reports that a sequel is in the works.

In August, Phillips said he’d be open to it. “One thing I will tell you: I would do anything with Joaquin (Phoenix), any day of the week,” he said to GamesRadar.

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For his part, Phoenix is known for his aversion to franchise films. He supposedly didn’t want to play Doctor Strange in the competing Marvel Cinematic Universe, a part that ultimately went to Benedict Cumberbatch, because it required a multiple-movie deal.

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“I think oftentimes, in these movies, we have these simplified, reductive archetypes, and that allows for the audience to be distant from the character, just like we would do in real life, where it’s easy to label somebody as evil, and therefore say, ‘Well, I’m not that,’” Phoenix previously said to GamesRadar.

Director Todd Phillips (left) and Joaquin Phoenix at the Venice Film Festival. Picture: Getty

That’s why he was attracted to Joker’s gritty crime-drama aesthetic and MA rating.

In any case, Deadline reported on Wednesday that Phillips and Warner Bros. are currently not in negotiations for another Joker movie or any other DC character origin story and there was no original deal for a sequel.

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission.