The Joker 2 is back, and he’s brought a pal with him this time.
The sequel to Joker 2, filmmaker Todd Phillips’ Oscar-winning, $1 billion-grossing 2019 Warner Bros. hit based on the DC villain, is in early talks to cast Lady Gaga opposite Joaquin Phoenix.
Scott Silver and Phillips have been collaborating on the Joker script for some time, and they have finally shown it to the studio. Joker 2 or Joker: Folie à deux, which is a reference to a medical word for a mental disease that affects two or more people, typically members of the same family, was revealed by Phillips last week on social media. Even though the same social media post showed Phoenix reading the script, the actor’s involvement is not yet a done deal, according to sources who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter; the two parties are still negotiating.
Though specifics about her persona are being kept under wraps, Joker is well-known for his on-and-off abusive relationship with Harley Quinn, his doctor at the Arkham Asylum mental hospital, who falls in love with him and becomes his sidekick and accomplice in crime. It’s unclear if Phillips and team are leveraging other DC characters or going it alone, as they frequently did in the first film.
Gaga would play Quinn if a deal is reached. But unlike Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, who most recently made an appearance in 2021’s The Suicide Squad as well as several other movies, this new Quinn lives in a distinct DC universe.
Many are not surprised that a sequel, named Joker: Folie A Deux, is presently in development given the critical and commercial success of Joker in 2019; however, some are. The actress Lady Gaga has formally confirmed her involvement with the movie via Twitter following a recent announcement of the movie’s release date.
The tweet links to a video that shows the shadows of Gaga’s persona and the Joker 2 (Joaquin Phoenix) dancing against a deep red background. The title of the movie and its verified October 4, 2024, release date are stated in the video’s final seconds, with the sound of the Joker’s trademark laugh playing in the backdrop. The post from Gaga also seems to corroborate prior rumors that she was in negotiations to join Phoenix in the highly anticipated sequel, with rumors circulating that she will play Harley Quinn.
Joker: Folie A Deux is slated to be a musical, departing from the grim tone of the first movie, as the video’s joyful musical tone suggests. In addition to appearing in musical movies like A Star is Born, which earned Gaga the Academy Award for Best Original Song, she has prior singing experience. The next sequel is shaping up to be an interesting and novel interpretation of the legendary Batman villain, even though the tweet provided no new plot information for the movie. More announcements are anticipated as the movie’s filming moves forward in the near future.
Following a recent shakeup at Warner Bros. caused by the Discovery merger, which resulted in the cancellation of several future projects, including Batgirl, the news of Gaga’s involvement in the movie was revealed. However, given the most recent confirmation from Gaga, the production of Joker seems to be progressing without a hitch.
The first Joker, which Todd Phillips directed, was released in 2019 to favorable reviews and immediately became a box office hit, becoming the first R-rated movie to earn over $1 billion worldwide. Thanks to the film’s favorable reviews, it received 11 Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture. It also took home two awards, for Best Original Score and Joaquin Phoenix’s Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. Fans will have a unique opportunity to revisit the clown prince of crime now that a sequel is in the works.
Joker: Folie A Deux will be released in theaters on October 4, 2024. Check out Gaga’s announcement below: