Bradley Cooper: The Silent Producer of Joker

Bradley Cooper’s most famous association with superhero movies is his role at Rocket Raccoon in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Astute viewers of movie credits likely noticed his name as a producer on Joker. The actor wished to broaden his filmmaking career by stepping into a non-acting role, and the decision paid off handsomely for him. Cooper, like star Joaquim Phoenix, will receive a large payout from the film’s $1 billion and counting take. A new book has come out that features interviews with the cast and crew. The work features rare public comments from Bradley Cooper about his work on the film.

Cooper admits he didn’t approach Warner Bros. or DC Entertainment first. Director Todd Phillips contacted Cooper and revealed he was working on an alternate timeline version of the Joker’s origin. Cooper found the concept intriguing and decided to come on board. Phillips’ track record as a successful director likely had something to do with Cooper’s affirmative decision. The discussions between the director/writer and the actor/producer occurred long before Joker cast its lead star or even before a script was written.

Commercially and critically, Cooper can add another hit to his resume. Ironically, Warner Bros. took the worst deal, as the studio sold off many rights to the film, not expecting it to be a huge hit. So far, the film generated at least $500 million in profits.

Warner/DC now court both Phoenix and Phillips for a Joker sequel. No official decisions exist, yet. Does the studio intend to bring Cooper back as a producer if a sequel goes forward? As is the case with Phoenix and Phillips, there are no official decisions. Bringing Cooper back for a second movie would make sense. Reuniting the same talent pool that turned the first film could duplicate the feature’s successful style and tone. Hiring a new team could drastically alter the film. Audiences might reject that outcome.