Todd Phillips’ Joker turned into the surprise DC hit that no one expected. It made over a billion dollars, and won Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar. But many wondered if this film, which was a dark character study, would translate into an automatic sequel. Well, Hollywood is still a show business. You don’t make that much money without a part two in the works. And now, per Deadline, the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, has its release date, October 4, 2024. Lady Gaga’s official involvement has also been confirmed.
Earlier in the year, we heard, per The Hollywood Reporter, that Lady Gaga was in very early talks of joining the Joker sequel. Sources reported that Gaga would likely play Harley Quinn (a different universe’s version, of course) and that this film will be a musical. Wait, what?! That’s quite the departure from the dark first film but honestly we are here for it. And Lady Gaga just revealed this to be true.
In Lady Gaga’s Twitter post, we can see a Harley Quinn-esque heart dotting her character’s cheek. And while the video doesn’t fully say that the Joker 2 will be a musical, it does seem to indicate music and dancing will be involved.
The Joker sequel will, of course, be titled Joker: Folie à Deux, which translates to “Joker: Shared Madness.” You can see the original title reveal post from Phillips below:
From the look of things, Phillips is reuniting with his original Joker co-writer Scott Silver for this continuation. The title suggests that the end of the first film, which shows Joker gaining a cult of followers who practically worship him, is going to be the subject of the second film. It is still a mystery as to how much of the iconography of the comics will play into this sequel.
The first film only lightly touched upon some story elements from Batman: The Killing Joke. It was way, way more influenced by the movies of Martin Scorsese. Particularly, The King of Comedy and Taxi Driver. Maybe we’ll see the development of other Batman villains in this film, who become inspired by Arthur Fleck to give in to the darkest impulses. Bruce Wayne is still a kid in this timeline, so unless there is a massive time-jump, don’t expect any Dark Knight action.
As far as the Joker 2 cast goes, alongside Gaga and Phoenix, Brendan Gleeson as now joined the cast, per Deadline, his character is not yet known. Additionally, Joker: Folie à Deux has cast Catherine Keener in a “major” but unknown role. It seems that Jacob Lofland has also joined the cast, as has Industry‘s Harry Lawtey.
There have also been rumors that Zazie Beetz would reprise her role as Sophie Dumond. As mentioned, the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, will arrive in theaters during the fall of 2024.
Originally published on June 7, 2022.
