By Zack Sharf
Digital News Director
Lady Gaga confirmed her casting in “Joker 2” by posting a musical teaser to social media. The sequel, officially titled “Joker: Folie à Deux,” will star Gaga opposite Joaquin Phoenix, returning to the role of Joker after winning the Oscar for best actor thanks to his performance in the 2019 first installment. The teaser is set to “Cheek to Cheek,” which Gaga has famously covered in her music career alongside Tony Bennett.
Variety reported in June that Gaga was circling the role of Harley Quinn in the upcoming “Joker” sequel, which is set to be a musical. Director Todd Phillips posted the screenplay’s cover to Instagram on June 7, revealing the “Folie à Deux” subtitle. The phrase refers to a shared delusional disorder, and Joker’s only real companion — other than Batman, anyway — has been Harley, a character first created for “Batman: The Animated Series” in the early 1990s. The teaser, however, does not outright confirm Gaga is playing Harley.
Harley Quinn has proven to be a durable character for Warner Bros. Margot Robbie has played the role three times, in 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” 2020’s “Birds of Prey” and 2021’s “The Suicide Squad,” and Kaley Cuoco voices the character on the popular HBO Max animated series “Harley Quinn,” which is now in its third season.
Phillips’ original “Joker” became a box office phenomenon in 2019, grossing just over $1 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history (unadjusted for inflation). The movie won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and went on to earn 11 Academy Award nominations, including best picture and director. Phoenix won the Oscar, as did Hildur Guðnadóttir for original score.
Warner Bros. will release “Joker: Folie à Deux” in theaters Oct. 4, 2024. Watch the musical teaser in Gaga’s social media post below.
Joker: Folie à Deux
10.04.24 pic.twitter.com/obp7T9lBFL
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 4, 2022
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