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Joker 3 is a 2026 American psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips from a screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Silver. Loosely based on DC Comics characters, the film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular Arthur Fleck. Set in 1986, five years after the events of Joker (2019), and three years after Joker: Folie á Deux (2024), Arthur Fleck survived his shanking in Arkham and was moved to Blackgate Penitentiary, where he has stayed ever since. Lady Gaga, Zazie Beetz, Harry Lawtey, and Keanu Reeves appear in supporting roles. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Joker 3 was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films in association with Village Roadshow Pictures and Joint Effort. The film is a sequel to Joker: Folie á Deux and the end of Todd Phillips' Joker trilogy.
Despite the failure of Joker: Folie á Deux the previous year, Joker 3 was greenlit in early-2025 by Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios. Principal photography began in July 2025 and Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Zazie Beetz, and Harry Lawtey were all confirmed to reprise their roles in the film. Principal photography was completed in November 2025 and the film was scheduled for a September 30, 2026 release. It was later pushed back a week to October 7, 2026.
The film loosely adapts plot elements from Brian Azzarello's Joker (2008) and Jeph Leob's Batman: The Long halloween (1996-1997). Joker 3 premiered at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on August 23, 2026, where it won the Golden Lion, and had its worldwide theatrical debut on October 7, after being pushed back a week from September 30. The film grossed $315 million, marking it a box office success.
Plot[]
In 1983, Arthur Fleck is in the Emergency Room at Arkham State Hospital following his attempted murder. He falls into a coma, waking up in 1986 after a security guard says the word "Joker" in his room. After waking, Arthur is moved to Blackgate, where he is supposed to stay until his sentence ends. Lee Quinzel comes to Blackgate to visit Arthur and they kiss before Arthur grabs a broken shard of glass and stabs Lee in the stomach seventeen times. Lee dies then and there, and Arthur uses some of Lee's blood to paint a smile across his lips. Security officers attack and beat Arthur, dragging him to the maximum security wing of Blackgate.
In his maximum security cell, Arthur is visited by Alberto Falcone, who tells Arthur that the Falcones can twist his trial in his favor, allowing him to be released from custody. Arthur accepts the offer and, on the day of his trial, Alberto Falcone twists Arthur's case in his favor, arguing that Arthur has Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID. The Jury rules in his favor and, one week later, Arthur is released from Blackgate and his record is erased, making him a free man. Arthur visits Harvey Dent in Gotham General Hospital, where he has been, comatose, for three years. Arthur leaves and goes to his old apartment, where he learns that Sophie Dumond, traumatized following the events of Joker and joker: Folie á Deux, killed herself in her apartment building.
Arthur changes the channel to Gotham Tonight, where a group of Joker rioters are begging for the Joker to return. This, on top of his three-year coma, makes Arthur completely forget ever renouncing the Joker persona. Arthur dons his classic Joker makeup and bright suit, dancing down a set of stairs to "Rock and Roll Part 2" by Gary Glitter, paralleling the climax of the first film. Arthur murders the man who attempted to kill him.