Joaquin Phoenix has reportedly been offered $50 million to reprise his role as Arthur Fleck / Joker for two potential sequels.

According to the Mirror, Warner Bros. is currently negotiating Phoenix’s return for two new films in the next four years.

• Read more: ‘Joker’ review: a melancholic psychodrama punctuated by splashes of shocking violence

“It’s still being negotiated,” sources told the publication, “but the scripts are being written and Joaquin is very engaged with it.”

They added: “[Warner Bros] plan to make two sequels in the next four years, with a long-term commitment to Joaquin and his Joker director Todd Phillips and producer Bradley Cooper. It’s all about getting Joaquin to accept the terms – and the biggest payday of his career by far.”

Last December, Philips explained that a sequel wasn’t currently in the works, saying the team hadn’t “gone any further on it.”

“Well there was [that push] even before Joker came out,” he explained. “A movie does that kind of business and became that beloved around the world – they had talked to us about it. Joaquin and I had spoken about it anyway as far back as when we were shooting the movie.

“But in all honesty we haven’t gone any further on it. Even Warner Bros. hasn’t. I think they’re just giving us time, and if we can figure it out, and if Joaquin’s down to do it, we would do it. But we haven’t gotten near that yet.”

In a five-star review of Joker, NME said: “Todd Phillips isn’t clowning around. This is edge-of-your-seat stuff. This is outstanding.”