Ready to head back to the rotten, filthy, violent cesspool that is Gotham? “Joker 2,” aka “Joker: Folie à Deux” is the sequel to the box office smash “Joker,” which saw Joaquin Phoenix win an Oscar for his dark-n-gritty take on the Clown Prince of Crime. Director Todd Phillips drew inspiration from Martin Scorsese pics like “Taxi Driver” and “The King of Comedy” to tell a moody, violent, very R-rated take on Batman’s arch nemesis. The end result broke box office records and earned both praise and scorn. Some critics were impressed with what Phillips had conjured up, while others were downright offended. Audiences, however, turned out in droves, resulting in a film that grossed over $1 billion (with a b).
While “Joker” felt like a pretty self-contained movie that didn’t warrant or need a sequel, those box office returns were too good for Warner Bros. to ignore. Phoenix, for his part, said he was down for more. So sure enough, a sequel was greenlit, with Phillips back in the director’s chair and Phoenix returning as Arthur Fleck, the emotionally and mentally damaged man who became the Joker. But don’t expect a normal sequel, folks! No, in a surprise, potentially fun twist, “Joker 2” is a musical! And Lady Gaga is on hand to lend her considerable singing skills, playing Dr. Harleen Quinzel aka Harley Quinn.
The “Joker: Folie à Deux” trailer has just arrived, and you can watch it above.
I gave the first “Joker” a positive review back when I saw it at TIFF 2019, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I was particularly impressed with Joaquin Phoenix’s performance, although I tend to almost always be impressed with him — he’s a great actor. All that said, I revisited “Joker” recently and found I didn’t like it as much as when I first saw it. To be clear: I don’t think it’s a bad movie, it’s just very derivative of the films that influenced it, to the point where it feels like it has almost nothing interesting to say. Phoenix is still pretty damn good in the film, though. It’s worth watching for him alone.
Whatever my current thoughts on the first “Joker,” I will freely admit I’m excited for “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Phillips seems to be using his clout earned from the first film to do whatever he wants here, and what he wants to do is a musical. That’s not a direction I think anyone could’ve predicted for this series. Adding Lady Gaga into the mix is a plus, too — I fully expect her to knock it out of the park as Harley Quinn.
When we last saw Arthur Fleck, he was locked up in Arkham for his various crimes. Now, Dr. Harleen Quinzel will enter his life as his doctor. But instead of treating her patient, she falls in love with him. Yes, romance is in the air in filthy, dirty Gotham. And where there’s romance there’s singing and dancing. How can you not at least be a little curious to see how all this craziness shakes out?
In addition to Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, “Joker 2” brings back Zazie Beetz from the first film while adding new cast members Steve Coogan, Brendan Gleeson, and Catherine Keener. “Joker: Folie à Deux” hits theaters on October 4, 2024. Will it make over $1 billion like the first film? We’ll see.
