Little Monsters stay calm—Lady Gaga is returning to the silver screen for the first time in over two years. The singer and actress, who last appeared in the Oscar-nominated House of Gucci, will take on the role of Arkham’s resident clown princess, Harley Quinn, in director Todd Phillips’ upcoming musical thriller, Joker: Folie à Deux.
The film is the sequel to Phillips’ 2019 Joker which won Joaquin Phoenix his Best Actor trophy at that year’s Academy Awards. The blockbuster has officially wrapped filming and there have been a few hints as to what audiences can expect once the movie hits theaters. Below, everything to know about Joker: Folie à Deux.
What is the plot of Joker: Folie à Deux?
Plot particulars have been largely kept under wraps, but the film will center on the moment Harley Quinn (Gaga) and Arthur Fleck/The Joker (Phoenix) fall in love at Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum. 2019’s Joker left audiences on a cliffhanger when Fleck escaped prison after being incarcerated for inciting riots. The trailer suggests Fleck is now awaiting trial for his crimes.
Insiders close to production told Variety that the film will feature a heavy musical element, calling the project “mostly a jukebox musical.” The soundtrack is rumored to feature at least 15 interpretations of “very well-known” songs—including “That’s Entertainment” from the 1953 musical The Band Wagon—as well as at least one original track. The film’s composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, who worked on the original film, is said to have “infused her distinctive, haunting [music] cues.”
Is there a trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux?
The second Joker trailer was released on July 23 ahead of the film’s debut at the Venice Film Festival in August. The trailer begins with a martyr-like Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) in the back of a police van as he makes his way into a courthouse for the “trial of the century.”
Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn is fascinated by Fleck, saying in the trailer “For once in my life, I didn’t feel so alone anymore.” Later in the trailer, Phoenix addresses onlookers keeping tabs on his court case, yelling “I will no longer allow any of you to keep me down!” At one point, Gaga and Phoenix take to a stage together (likely to perform, as Joker has a heavy musical element) before they continue to wreak havoc across New York City.
See the trailer here:
The film’s first teaser trailer dropped April 9 after director Todd Phillips presented it at CinemaCon. The two-and-a-half-minute clip opens with Phoenix’s Joker/Arthur Fleck in solitary confinement at Arkham Asylum, where he’s being taunted by guards. As he’s led down a hallway, he locks eyes with fellow patient Harley Quinn (Gaga), and there’s clearly chemistry. “We use music to make ourselves whole,” a voiceover says. “To balance the fractures in ourselves.” As the two fall in love at the hospital, Harley tells Joker, “I’m nobody. I haven’t done anything with my life like you have.”
Notably, Gaga’s vocals sound little like the nasal rasp actress Arleen Sorkin used in the 1990s Saturday morning classic Batman: The Animated Series. The character originated on that show, and Sorkin’s performance is often credited with Harley’s popularity; portrayals of Quinn usually pay homage to Sorkin’s work.
She later suggests that they “get out of here,” and the rest of the teaser shows Harley and Joker dancing and running wild together, performing Burt Bacharach’s “What the World Needs Now Is Love” and wreaking havoc on the streets. At the end, the Joker is asked, “What’s changed?” He replies, “I’ll tell you what’s changed. I’m not alone anymore. That’s what we should be talking about,” before breaking into maniacal laughter.
Watch the trailer below:
In early 2023, photographers also captured the actors on set. The movie was filmed between New York City, Los Angeles, and New Jersey—it even features a scene outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court.
Who is in the cast of Joker: Folie à Deux?
Gaga isn’t the only A-lister joining the all-star Joker: Folie à Deux cast. Like Phoenix, Joker alumni Zazie Beatz, Leigh Gill, and Sharon Washington will all reprise their roles. The cast also includes Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, Steve Coogan, Ken Leung, and Harry Lawtey.
Why is Lady Gaga playing Harley Quinn instead of Margot Robbie?
Before she was Barbie, Margot Robbie embodied Harley Quinn in three films: Suicide Squad (2016), Birds of Prey (2020), and The Suicide Squad (2021). Those three projects are in a different DC “universe” than the Joker series, the latter of which is darker and more serious. Also given that the sequel involves a large musical element, the classically-trained Gaga seems like a natural fit.
“It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning that all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters—the way Macbeth or Batman always gets passed from great actor to great actor,” Robbie said in 2022. During a more recent interview, Robbie sang Gaga’s praises, telling Variety that “she’s going to crush it. Are you kidding? She’s going to be amazing, I can’t wait to see it.”
Does Joker: Folie à Deux have a release date?
Joker: Folie à Deux is set to be released theatrically in the United States on October 4, 2024.
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