What We Know About The 'Joker' Sequel – Forbes

The sequel to the hit 2019 film “Joker,” titled “Joker: Folie à Deux,” is generating hype ahead of its October release thanks to the return of Joaquin Phoenix alongside new co-star Lady Gaga, as well as rumors that the film may have musical elements.
Lady Gaga will star in the upcoming “Joker” sequel alongside Joaquin Phoenix. (Photo by Gotham/GC … [+] Images)
“Joker: Folie à Deux” will open in theaters on October 4, five years after “Joker” dominated the box office and awards season.
The film stars Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, who, in other portrayals of the DC Comics character, is a psychologist at Arkham Asylum who becomes obsessed with and falls in love with Phoenix’s Joker.
Zazie Beetz will return from the first film as the Joker’s neighbor, while Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Steve Coogan have also been cast in undisclosed roles.
Director Todd Philipps (who also directed the first “Joker”) has shared several pictures of Lady Gaga and Phoenix from the upcoming film to his Instagram, including three images of the two stars posted to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year.
Paparazzi pictures of Lady Gaga on set, including on the stairs that the Joker danced down in the first film, surfaced in March and April 2023 during the film’s shoot in New York City.
Though Warner Bros. has not released details of the film’s plot, Variety reported some scenes from the film will take place in and around Arkham Asylum.
Rumors have long circulated that the “Joker” sequel would be a musical, which the Hollywood Reporter first claimed in June 2022, citing anonymous sources. Variety reported last month the film would be like a “jukebox musical,” meaning the musical numbers would largely be well-known songs, with a soundtrack of at least 15 songs. One song speculated to be part of the soundtrack is “That’s Entertainment” from the 1953 musical “The Band Wagon,” Variety reported, citing anonymous sources. Though the studio and its major stars have not commented on the musical rumors, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir has hinted at the film’s musical elements. Guðnadóttir told Comicbook.com in September: “All I can say is there is going to be a lot of music.” Last year, Guðnadóttir seemed to acknowledge that the sequel would be a musical, telling Variety that the film’s musical direction is “both logical and also very surprising.”
Lady Gaga shared a new poster for “Joker: Folie à Deux” to her social media accounts Tuesday, stating that the trailer will premiere April 9. The poster depicts Phoenix and Gaga’s characters dancing together, with the subtitle: “The world is a stage.”
“Folie à deux” is a term used by psychologists that, according to the American Psychological Association, refers to a “rare psychotic disorder in which two intimately related individuals simultaneously share similar or identical delusions.”
$200 million. That’s the budget for the “Joker” sequel, Variety reported, up significantly from the $60 million the first film cost to produce. Phoenix and Lady Gaga will make about $20 million and $12 million respectively, according to the Variety report.
The first “Joker” film, which was released in 2019, was a success at the box office and the Academy Awards. “Joker,” which starred Phoenix alongside Beetz, Robert De Niro and Frances Conroy grossed just under $1.1 billion at the global box office. Phoenix was singled out by many awards groups for his performance: He won the Oscar, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild prizes for Best Actor. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards in total, the most for any film that year, and it also won the Oscar for Best Original Score in addition to Phoenix’s victory.
‘Joker 2’ Musical Details Revealed: At Least 15 Cover Songs, Original Tracks May Be Added (EXCLUSIVE) (Variety)
Warner Bros. Spends Big: ‘Joker 2’ Budget Hits $200 Million, Lady Gaga’s $12 Million Payday, Courting Tom Cruise’s New Deal and More (Variety)

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