‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ has flopped at the domestic box office.
The $190 million–budgeted sequel earned less than $40 million, according to reports.
It fared better overseas, with $81.1 million.
The sequel to 2019’s ‘Joker’ is beginning to look less ‘Folie à Deux’ and more “Folly à Deux.”
Warner Bros. had previously had high hopes for the new movie, given that it reunited co-writer/director Todd Phillips with star Joaquin Phoenix, who had seen their original effort make more than $1 billion at the box office and score three Oscars from 11 nominations, including for Phoenix’s lead performance.
But while the marketing largely obscured the fact that the duo were taking their latest in a radically new direction –– i.e. making it a musical and diving even deeper into the emotional fragility and mental health of main character Arthur Fleck –– the audiences, at least domestically, simply didn’t show up, with estimates staking it around $39 million for its opening weekend.
That’s a far cry from the $96 million launch for the first movie.
The ‘Joker’ sequel finds Arthur (Phoenix) institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker.
While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love (with Lee Quinzel, played by Lady Gaga), but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.
How did the box office shape up for ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ domestically?
(L to R) Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo: Todd Phillips’ Instagram.
While we should at this point, make the note that the $39 million figure is still the estimate, even if it rises some, it’s still a huge disappointment.
The signs and portents were there –– very mixed reviews and then a dreadful audience reaction, with big drops between Friday and Saturday as poisonous word of mouth began to spread, and a horrendous D+ audience reaction score (to put that in context, Francis Ford Coppola’s widely maligned ‘Megalopolis’ managed a D.)
That financial result is worse than ‘The Marvels,’ which began its own faltering box office run with $46 million. But as Deadline points out, at least the ‘Joker’ sequel made more than the ‘Cats’ musical movie it its entire initial run.
What was the ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ box office worldwide?
Outside of the States, the figures were more in line with studio tracking; ‘Folie à Deux’ earned $81.1 million in 76 markets for a current global estimated total of $121.1 million. It still has China and Japan left to open, but no one is predicting big things from either country.
Perhaps the biggest issue is that Phillips, off the back of the first film’s success, was able to score a $190 million budget to make the film, with the studio gambling that having a name like Gaga attached would help broaden its appeal. Trouble was, ‘Joker’s core audience didn’t connect with the idea of a movie that is part courtroom drama, part musical.
By way of comparison, Brady Corbet managed to make a 3.5 hour movie (‘The Brutalist’, which has scored praise at festivals) for $6 million.
Phillips has said that he has no real interest in returning to the ‘Joker’ world; at this point, we doubt Warner Bros. has either.
Opening in theaters on October 4th, ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ brings us back to the world of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and introduces a love interest for the troubled character in the shape of Lee Quinzel, played by Lady Gaga.
Unfortunately, surely only the biggest fans of Todd Phillips’ first film are likely to find much to enjoy here –- and even then it’s unlikely –– as the sequel sinks into indulgence and fantasy as the expense of real emotion or actual drama.
Will ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ put a smile on your face?
(L to R) Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo: Todd Phillips’ Instagram.
How do you follow up a moody, intriguing take on a well-used character that managed to sidestep all the established tropes and explored mental health and the spread of chaos in a tinderbox city all at once?
If you’re Todd Phillips, director of the award-winning ‘Joker,’ your answer, at least according to the sequel he has made, you double down on your star’s quirks and add in a whole lot of musical sequences that are ostensibly designed to carry the emotional underpinnings of your story but leave them flailing.
Reuniting with ‘Joker’ co-writer Scott Silver for this long-winded follow-up, Phillips crafts another deep dive into the psyche of Arthur Fleck. Except this dive is not particularly deep, skirting the surface and going over some very familiar territory.
We learned a lot about Arthur’s trauma and issues in the original movie, but ‘Folie à Deux’ mostly provides more of the same. Who is Joker? Does Arthur truly believe he is a different chunk of his personality –– as his lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (played by Catherine Keener) is looking to cement as part of his insanity defense in his murder trial –– or was everything just Arthur’s actions alone?
That question are more are sort-of answered by the new film, but the script is largely geared towards a lot of fantastical sequences where Phoenix and Gaga belt out classic tunes looking to illuminate their inner lives. The problem is that all of that material feels like surface-level exploration.
Visually, the film is certainly still impressive, much as the first was, Phillips and returning cinematographer Lawrence Sher reuniting for a movie that exists in light and shadow, Arthur in particular wreathed in near constant smoke thanks to his endless cigarette habit.
When something dramatic does actually occur at the end, that too looks impressive. And the fantasy sequences have a staged look to them that works. It’s just a shame it’s all in the service of a dull screenplay.
With Phoenix naturally dominating, Gaga’s natural presence also shines through, and having her sing –– even if not to her normal performance level –– was a bonus.
Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck
Joaquin Phoenix in Director Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo courtesy of Todd Phillips’ Instagram account.
Phoenix won an Oscar for playing Fleck in the previous movie, and he does try to add on a few extra shades here. Problem is, even with the romantic arc of his relationship with Gaga’s Lee, there’s very little fresh to learn about him.
Lady Gaga as Lee
Lady Gaga in Director Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo courtesy of Todd Phillips’ Instagram account.
The one truly new addition to the ‘Joker’ universe, it is, as expected, a very different take on the Harley Quinn character. Don’t expect much of the usual wild and wacky behavior that usually comes with Harley (with a couple of small exceptions during the fantasy songs), Gaga keeps it grounded.
Having proved her acting chops in previous roles, she’s a clear highlight in the film, though Lee isn’t exactly a rounded character, more a means to finding a new angle on Arthur.
Keener brings a quiet strength to her role as Arthur’s lawyer and does what she can with a relatively small role that most requires her to be empathetic in his case.
One of Arthur’s big nemeses this time around, Gleeson brings gruff charisma to the role of one of the chief correctional officers at Arkham (where Fleck is imprisoned). He’s more than simply a brutal screw cracking down on his charges, and the actor is handed something to chew on in a few scenes –– and chew he does.
Pretty much everyone else is an archetype in search of a character –– Harry Lawtey has a few moments to shine as legal peacock Harvey Dent, while there is a welcome return for Zazie Beetz as Sophie, the neighbor Arthur imagined he was in a relationship with in ‘Joker.’ And a high point is the testimony of Arthur’s old workmate Gary Puddles, with actor Leigh Gill shining as he delivers a shellshocked account of his murderous actions.
There’s the real feel of a wasted opportunity here, Phillips and Phoenix given free rein to spend the studio’s money on something that never quite lives up to the original movie’s promise.
For the most part, this all has the weight of an extended coda to the first movie, and a true disappointment. There’s still a chance it’ll be a success, but don’t go expecting to be truly entertained.
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ receives 4.5 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the plot of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’?
The ‘Joker’ sequel finds Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.
(L to R) Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo: Todd Phillips’ Instagram.
Preview:
New images from ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ have arrived.
Director Todd Phillips has also talked a potential trailer date.
The movie is out in October.
In this social media age, it’s not unusual for filmmakers to be pressed into (or want to) use their personal channels to promote their work. And Todd Phillips, who is busy in post-production on ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’, the follow-up to his billion-dollar-plus (not to mention Oscar-winning) 2019 take on the classic Batman villain, has been drip-feeding images from the new movie for months now.
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The filmmaker used Valentine’s Day as an excuse to offer new pics of his central pair –– that would be Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck/Joker and Lady Gaga as a version of his ride-or-die romantic pairing (and frequent partner in crime) Harley Quinn.
Quite what Phillips’ take on Quinn will be remains to be seen, but since his (and Phoenix’s) version of the Joker origin story stands in stark contrast to Batman lore, we’re anticipating tweaks.
(L to R) Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo: Todd Phillips’ Instagram.
Not much is officially known about the new movie, but with Phillips co-writing once again alongside Scott Silver, ‘Folie à Deux’ promises more bad behavior from Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, joined now by Gaga’s Quinn.
We’ll pick up the story Phoenix’s Fleck, the wannabe comedian struggling with mental health issues who, besieged by disappointment and fueled by rage, slowly segues into a psychopathic killer and agent of chaos.
Fleck ended up in Arkham Asylum –– the infamous facility for psychotic criminals from the ‘Batman’ comic book universe, and the new movie appears to take place to some degree there.
Arkham is where the Joker (usually, at least) meets one Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, who eventually becomes obsessed with him –– and he, in turn, slowly drives her insane until she becomes Harley Quinn, the character who has long been part of comics canon and most recently on the big screen by Margot Robbie in the ‘Suicide Squad’ movies and her own spin-off.
There will be some carry over from the first movie –– Zazie Beetz is back as Sophie Dumond, the neighbor with whom Arthur had a relationship (at least until, spoiler alert, it was revealed as all in his head).
(L to R) Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo: Todd Phillips’ Instagram.
One of the biggest elements of speculation for the new film has been the idea it is a musical. But according to cinematographer Lawrence Sher, it might not be the song-filled experience we’ve all been expecting.
“It’s not a musical per se, it just has music in it, that’s all. Music’s a part of the movie and the characters, but I don’t know if it’s a musical.”
Of course, he could always be trying to throw us all off the scent. More of a clue will come in the teasers and trailers. And talking of…
When will the ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ trailer be out?
(L to R) Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker and Lady Gaga as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo: Todd Phillips’ Instagram Account.
Phillips responded to a comment on his Insta post asking about when we might see the trailer.
Here’s what he said:
“Been getting this question a lot. The movie comes out in October. So our first teaser won’t be out until mid-April.”
When is ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ in theaters?
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ will land in theaters on October 4th.
Lady Gaga in Director Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo courtesy of Todd Phillips’ Instagram account.
(L to R) Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker and Lady Gaga as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo: Todd Phillips’ Instagram Account.
Preview:
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ director Todd Phillips offered new images from the movie.
The pictures show stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.
Phillips’ sequel film will be out in October 2024.
As Todd Phillips continues work on comic book-based sequel ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ as it chugs through the post-production phase (though you can imagine he and his team took a break for the holidays), he’s gifting the world with two new images from the movie.
With Phillips co-writing once again alongside Scott Silver, the new movie promises more bad behavior from Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, joined this time by Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn.
Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo: Todd Phillips’ Instagram Account.
Little has been released officially about the new film, but it sees the return of Phoenix’s Fleck, the wannabe comedian struggling with mental health issues who, besieged by disappointment and fueled by rage, slowly segues into a psychopathic killer and agent of chaos.
Fleck ended up in Arkham Asylum –– the infamous facility for psychotic criminals from the ‘Batman’ comic book universe, and the new movie appears to take place to some degree there.
Arkham is where the Joker (usually, at least) meets one Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, who eventually becomes obsessed with him –– and he, in turn, slowly drives her insane until she becomes Harley Quinn, the character who has long been part of comics canon and most recently on the big screen by Margot Robbie in the ‘Suicide Squad’ movies and her own spin-off.
There will be some carry over from the first movie –– Zazie Beetz is back as Sophie Dumond, the neighbor with whom Arthur had a relationship (at least until, spoiler alert, it was revealed as all in his head).
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Who besides Lady Gaga is new in the ‘Joker’ sequel?
Lady Gaga in Director Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo courtesy of Todd Phillips’ Instagram account.
Joaquin Phoenix in Director Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo courtesy of Todd Phillips’ Instagram account.
The most fascinating aspect of the new film, especially considering the kitchen sink grot and crime of the original, is that ‘Folie à Deux’ is indeed planned as a musical.
Gaga’s hiring pointed to that, and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir told Variety on a BAFTA red carpet that she was intrigued by the idea.
Here’s what she had to say,
“It’s an interesting decision. And I think it’s really exciting to see how it unfolds. And I think it’s somehow logical at the same time. It’s both logical and also very surprising. For me as well as the audience. So far it’s just been a really beautiful conversation and I’m really excited to see how it unfolds.”
When will ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ be in theaters?
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is scheduled to land in theaters on October 4th, 2024. We imagine a teaser will be on the way before too long.
Joaquin Phoenix in 2019’s ‘Joker’ courtesy of Warner Bros.
Lady Gaga in Director Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo courtesy of Todd Phillips’ Instagram account.
That’s a wrap for ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’, the follow-up to Todd Phillips’ fascinating, gritty, Oscar-winning and billion dollar box office earner from 2019.
As the movie finishes the main production phase and heads to the editing room (or “cave” as Phillips describes it), the director has shared new imagery of stars Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in make-up and costume.
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What is ‘Folie à Deux’ about?
Little has been released officially about the new film, but it sees the return of Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, the wannabe comedian struggling with mental health issues who, besieged by disappointment and fueled by rage, slowly segues into a psychopathic killer and agent of chaos.
Fleck ended up in Arkham Asylum –– the infamous facility for psychotic criminals from the ‘Batman’ comic book universe, and the new movie appears to take place to some degree there.
Arkham is where the Joker (usually, at least) meets one Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, who eventually becomes obsessed with him –– and he, in turn, slowly drives her insane until she becomes Harley Quinn, the character who has long been part of comics canon and most recently on the big screen by Margot Robbie in the ‘Suicide Squad’ movies and her own spin-off.
We have yet to find out how Phillips will treat that pairing –– from the looks of set imagery and now this wrap pic, Gaga certainly looks like she’s playing some version of Harley.
There will be some carry over from the first movie –– Zazie Beetz is back as Sophie Dumond, the neighbor with whom Arthur had a relationship (at least until, spoiler alert, it was revealed as all in his head).
Joaquin Phoenix in Director Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo courtesy of Todd Phillips’ Instagram account.
Is the ‘Joker’ sequel really a musical?
The most fascinating aspect of the new film, especially considering the kitchen sink grot and crime of the original, is that ‘Folie à Deux’ is indeed planned as a musical.
Gaga’s hiring pointed to that, and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir told Variety on a BAFTA red carpet that she was intrigued by the idea.
Here’s what she had to say,
“It’s an interesting decision. And I think it’s really exciting to see how it unfolds. And I think it’s somehow logical at the same time. It’s both logical and also very surprising. For me as well as the audience. So far it’s just been a really beautiful conversation and I’m really excited to see how it unfolds.”
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is scheduled to land in theaters on October 4th, 2024, but hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to see more from the movie.
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is produced by Joint Effort, Village Roadshow Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, and Bron Studios. It is set to release in theaters on October 4th, 2024.
(L to R) Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell star in Martin McDonagh’s ‘In Bruges,’ a Focus Features release.
There is a lot we still don’t know about ‘Joker’ sequel ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’, but the cast is clearly coming together for Todd Phillips’ latest movie.
Gleeson joins Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga and Zazie Beetz in the movie, which is looking to incorporate more of a musical element this time around (how that will present in the film is, like everything else, still unknown for now).
Phoenix, of course, is returning as Arthur Fleck, the wannabe comedian-turned-chaos merchant who caused such havoc in Gotham city, spreading murder and mayhem, and who ended up locked away in Arkham Asylum.
Beetz is reprising her role as Sophie Dumond, the single mother and object of Arthur’s affections, even if it turned out to be a fantasy in his head.
As for Gaga, her character has yet to be officially revealed, though there is plenty of chatter at her playing iconic Joker character Harley Quinn, his psychiatrist at Arkham who falls in love with him and becomes his sidekick and partner in crime.
DC Comics’ Harley Quinn.
Likewise, Let the speculation commence for how Gleeson might fit into Phillips’ grungy Gotham world. Could he be Commissioner Gordon? Or might he be on the other side of the law, playing a prisoner-patient of Arkham and one of Batman’s rogue’s gallery? Or something new entirely? The possibilities are almost endless…
Co-writer Scott Silver and Phillips have been hard at work on drafts of the script, and the movie’s current working title is ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ which translates to the term for a mental disorder that affects more than one person. And that’s definitely a good way to describe the viral chaos that Arthur Fleck began scattering around Gotham in the original.
How closely the new movie will hew to established DC lore is unknown at this point – we’d honestly put money on Phillips continuing to chart his own path, picking and choosing how Fleck’s story intersects with the wider Bat-world. And from the sounds of everything we’ve heard so far, this represents the filmmakers branching out from the 1970s crime vibe of the original.
Gleeson is probably still best known for his appearances in several ‘Harry Potter’ movies, though he’s also made a name for himself in the indie world, working on the likes of ‘In Bruges’ and ‘Calvary’.
(L to R) Zazie Beetz and Joaquin Phoenix in 2019’s ‘Joker.’
With an official release date now on the books, the details for the ‘Joker’ sequel are starting to fall into place.
And one of the best parts of the original movie seems set to return, as Zazie Beetz is in talks to reprise the role of Sophie Dumond in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’
When we meet her in Todd Phillips’ 2018 film, Sophie is a struggling single mother who lives in the same grungy Gotham City apartment block as Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and his mom. The pair share a whirlwind romance but – spoiler alert for those who haven’t seen the original movie – it turns out that the relationship was all in Arthur’s head.
Regardless, we’re not sure that Sophie is really going to want to strike up a connection with an unstable man who sows chaos throughout Gotham City. And given that Lady Gaga is now aboard the sequel, playing someone who develops a close link to Arthur, that situation could be even more complicated.
Gaga recently posted a teaser video confirming her casting in the sequel, and while it offered no real clues, speculation is rampant that’s she’ll be playing at least some version of Harley Quinn, the psychotherapist-turned-psychopathic girlfriend of the Joker.
Harley, of course, exists across different stories in the DC Universe, between the current animated anarchist voiced by Kaley Cuoco and Margot Robbie’s movie version. Given that Phillips’ film is unconnected to the larger DCEU movie world, so he has free rein to create his own – if that’s what he’s truly doing.
(L to R) Joaquin Phoenix and Zazie Beetz in 2019’s ‘Joker.’
Of course, there’s every chance that the writer/director will surprise us, as he found new things to say about Arthur and his Joker personality.
Phillips had previously teased the new movie’s title by posting the cover for the script he wrote with ‘Joker’s Scott Silver. And the cameras should be cranking this December. No one knows what the plot is exactly yet, though Folie à Deux’ is a French reference for a medical term pertaining to a mental disorder which affects two or more people.
The other big element we’re promised for the sequel is a musical one, which is perhaps partly explains Gaga’s presence.
Beetz told The Hollywood Reporter that she firmly approves of the idea. “I actually think it makes wonderful sense. I wasn’t really surprised by that. Todd [Phillips] has always had a creative approach to the character. I love musicals, and I think of them as the characters are feeling and experiencing so much that they can only sing and dance about it, whether in sorrow or in joy,” she says.
“And I can actually see that within myself as well because singing and dancing is quite a cathartic experience for me. I was going through a really, really difficult time at one point in my life, and I just started dancing and crying by myself,” Beetz continues. “And that was an expression that matched where I was at that moment. And so I can see Arthur, who is feeling and experiencing so much, dancing and singing about it. He’s the Joker, so I think it makes sense to me.”
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is scheduled for theaters on October 4th, 2024.
Zazie Beetz in 2019’s ‘Joker.’
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That has now moved into the “official” column, as Gaga has taken to social media with a teaser video confirming her casting.
Set to an instrumental version of the Irving Berlin-written ‘Cheek to Cheek’ (a song that Gaga herself has performed a lot, often with Tony Bennett), the video shows silhouette versions of Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck and Gaga’s so far unknown character (though there is speculation on that – see further down the page) and unites them in a virtual version of a shadow puppet dance.
Featuring the actors’ names in bold and then confirming the title as ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’, the twitter tease also mentions the release date for the film.
As discovered yesterday, the new ‘Joker’ film will head to theaters on October 4th, 2024 – five years to the day since the original. The studio will naturally be hoping for similar success at the box office and awards season.
Phillips had previously teased the new movie’s title by posting the cover for the script he wrote with ‘Joker’s Scott Silver. And the cameras should be cranking this December. No one knows what the plot is exactly yet, though Folie à Deux’ is a French reference for a medical term pertaining to a mental disorder which affects two or more people.
And this latest teaser also seems to point to more of a musical angle to the movie (which makes sense given Gaga’s casting).
Gaga, of course, is a big star these days, with an Oscar on her mantel and plenty of acclaim for ‘A Star is Born’ in particular (it’s perhaps little coincidence that Phillips co-produced that Bradley Cooper-directed movie).
And, if she does end up making a deal to appear, word is she’ll be playing iconic Joker character Harley Quinn, his psychiatrist at the mental institution known as Arkham Asylum who falls in love with him and becomes his sidekick and partner in crime.
This being Phillips’ own world, not connected to the DC Extended Universe, any potential Gaga Harley would be different from Margot Robbie’s Quinn, who has so far appeared in two ‘Suicide Squad’ movies and her own spin-off, ‘Birds of Prey’.
And it’s not like ‘Joker’ eschewed other Batman characters completely: we got a smattering of them in Phillips’ vision of Gotham, including a young Bruce Wayne and a corrupt version of his father, Thomas.
So while those eagerly anticipating more of Phoenix’s make-up-sporting troublemaker will have to wait a couple of years to see the next installment, at least we know that the movie is officially on its way.
(L to R) Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in 2018’s ‘A Star Is Born.’
After co-writer/director Todd Phillips offered an update about the status of the sequel to 2018 hit ‘Joker’ last week, the latest developments to emerge about the movie are quite the follow-up.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, not only is Lady Gaga now in early talks to co-star, but the movie is shaping up to be a musical, or at least carry a solid musical element. As if people weren’t paying attention to the sequel already, that’s certainly something to make them.
Gaga, of course, is a big star these days, with an Oscar on her mantel and plenty of acclaim for ‘A Star is Born’ in particular (it’s perhaps little coincidence that Phillips co-produced that Bradley Cooper-directed movie).
And, if she does end up making a deal to appear, word is she’ll be playing iconic Joker character Harley Quinn, his psychiatrist at the mental institution known as Arkham Asylum who falls in love with him and becomes his sidekick and partner in crime.
This being Phillips’ own world, not connected to the DC Extended Universe, any potential Gaga Harley would be different from Margot Robbie’s Quinn, who has so far appeared in two ‘Suicide Squad’ movies and her own spin-off, ‘Birds of Prey’.
And it’s not like ‘Joker’ eschewed other Batman characters completely: we got a smattering of them in Phillips’ vision of Gotham, including a young Bruce Wayne and a corrupt version of his father, Thomas.
Joaquin Phoenix in 2019’s ‘Joker’ courtesy of Warner Bros.
The musical element is harder to pin down, but it certainly makes Gaga’s casting resonate even further. While the first ‘Joker’ movie certainly had music in it (and one iconic scene featuring Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck dancing), the idea that the sequel will be a full-blown, tune-filled affair is an intriguing one.
If you were looking to sidestep the usual cries of sequel fatigue, that’s certainly one way to go about it! Right now, it’s all up the air as Gaga still has to lock in her deal, while Phoenix is also in the midst of figuring out the financials for his return to the lead.
Co-writer Scott Silver and Phillips have been hard at work on drafts of the script, and the movie’s current working title is ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ which translates to the term for a mental disorder that affects more than one person. And that’s definitely a good way to describe the viral chaos that Arthur Fleck began spreading around Gotham in the original.
How closely the new movie will hew to established DC lore is unknown at this point – we’d honestly put money on Phillips continuing to chart his own path, picking and choosing how Fleck’s story intersects with the wider Bat-world.
The ‘Joker’ sequel doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet, but there’s a chance it could be ready for screens next year. And will it be a full-blown musical? Lady Gaga might have scored a trophy for “Shallow”, but it’s Arthur Fleck who is off the deep end.
It has been a few months since we heard anything new about the ‘Joker’ sequel that co-writer/director Todd Phillips has been busy scripting.
But from the looks of Phillips’ latest Instagram post, things are moving smoothly along, with the script reaching its latest draft and, according to the other image on the post, star Joaquin Phoenix reading it.
There’s also that title: ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ which in case your high school French isn’t up to the task, translates to the term for a mental disorder that affects more than one person.
No story details were offered up, but that highbrow title could refer to the pervasive influence of Arthur Fleck’s (Phoenix) actions in the first film. His brand of chaos certainly appeared to be spreading in Gotham. Phillips’ film was a dark, gritty, take on the Clown Prince of Crime, much more in the mood of a Martin Scorsese crime film than you usual superhero outing. It told the story of Fleck, a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fractured society.
A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night… But finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events.
According to Deadline, Phoenix liked what he saw enough to kick off negotiations to return as Fleck, as while he had a sequel clause in his contract for the original, he has enough clout that Warners will need to stump up a hefty pay rise to make sure he returns for sure.
News of further developments will be good news for Warner Bros. Discovery and DC, which saw the first ‘Joker’ go on to gross more than $1 billion at the box office and pick up 11 Oscar nominations, winning two – for Phoenix as Best Actor and Original Score for composer Hildur Guðnadóttir.
Naturally, the companies would like a follow-up now that Phillips has the story he wants to tell. From the looks of this, we could see the movie start filming this year.
And Phillips’ involvement with the DC Movies structure as a whole could be changing since incoming Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav has apparently asked him to consider serving as an advisor for the DC movie universe going forward. Unlike Kevin Feige, who runs Marvel Studios for Disney, overseeing their movies and TV shows, Phillips would strictly work on a non-executive level.
Also, unlike Feige, Phillips doesn’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the comic books, so if he does take the job, chances are he might be paired with someone boasting that sort of experience, while he’ll handle filmmaking choices. Whether that comes about, of course, remains to be seen, though for now he’ll be focused on figuring out this one movie.
