Joker Director Hates Deleted Scenes, So Don’t Expect to See an Extended Cut

Joker looks like its headed for another great week at the box office after an impressive start to October. But, if you’re really digging the movie and are expecting some extended scenes or a cut with more footage added on, you might be out of luck. Todd Phillips is the man at the head of the film and he’s not too fond of those sorts of changes to a film post-release. Spider-Man: Far From Home got an extended cut release to theaters and fans seemed appreciative of the extra content. But, as people say, this is a case of different strokes for different folks. There is probably enough to grapple with in Joker without tacking another 10 minutes or so onto the runtime.

Phillips went further into it when he spoke to Collider about this philosophy. Apparently, there were a lot of takes left on the cutting room floor. Even some scenes didn’t make it out of editing and will live on as whispers among fans of the film. He began, “I hate f****** extended cuts. I hate deleted scenes… They’re deleted for a reason.” But that wasn’t all, he kept that train of thought going. Phillips continued, “The movie that exists is exactly the movie I want it to be and I will never show a deleted scene.” Collider’s conversations also included star Joaquin Phoenix insisting that there weren’t just deleted scenes but “deleted acts” among the material that is out there somewhere.

Even without that extra content, Joker is absolutely crushing expectations at the box office. The movie delivered a record performance for a Monday at the movies in October and the top first-week earner for the month as well. Now, with $600 million at the box office, people are wondering just how far it can climb during this run. This is nothing short of a slam dunk for Warner Bros. who has made the most of its chances starting with Aquaman and Shazam. There has been a ton of positive momentum and that will likely continue with Joker.

Also worth mentioning is the relative lack of incidents after much of the pre-release coverage of the film revolved around the potential for violence. Luckily, most of the incidents have been basically harmless. Phoenix even showed up to one screening to surprise fans as they caught the film in Los Angeles. A couple of false alarms have been called in, but nothing too serious yet. That has to feel good for the filmmakers as this film was facing a ton of pressure from all sides to not only perform but also steer clear of too much controversy. Now, the only real question is how high can the movie soar?

Joker is in theaters now. Upcoming DC movies include Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, The Batman on June 25, 2021, The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021, and Aquaman 2 on December 16, 2022.