Joker: Folie a Deux (2024)

Joker: Folie à Deux[a] is an upcoming American musical romance psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips from a screenplay co-written with Scott Silver. The sequel to Joker (2019), loosely based on DC Comics characters, Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as the Joker, with Lady Gaga joining the cast as his love interest, Harley Quinn. Zazie Beetz also reprises her role from the previous film, while Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener also join the cast. It is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios in association with Joint Effort.

Joker was conceived as a standalone film, although Warner Bros. intended for it to launch a DC Black film series. Phillips expressed interest in making a sequel, but reiterated that Joker was not set up to have one. The sequel entered development in June 2022, with Gaga and Beetz joining later that year. Principal photography took place in Los Angeles, New York City, and Belleville, New Jersey, from December 2022 to April 2023.

Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled for a theatrical release overseas on October 2, 2024, followed by the United States two days later on October 4, 2024, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Premise

After murdering Murray Franklin live on television, Arthur Fleck is incarcerated in Arkham State Hospital, where he meets Harleen Quinzel. The two fall madly in love and experience musical madness through their shared delusions, while Fleck's followers start a movement to free him from Arkham, ultimately giving rise to the Clown Prince of Crime's criminal empire.

Cast

Joaquin Phoenix

Lady Gaga

Zazie Beetz

Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / The Joker, a mentally ill, nihilistic criminal with a clown-inspired persona, formerly an impoverished party clown and aspiring stand-up comedian.
Lady Gaga as Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn, a music therapist for Arkham Asylum who meets Arthur; her curiosity eventually turns to obsession and she forms a deadly romantic relationship with him.[4][5]
Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond, a single mother and Arthur's former neighbor.[6]

Leigh Gill and Sharon Washington reprise their roles as Gary and Arthur's social worker, respectively. Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, Steve Coogan, Ken Leung and Harry Lawtey have been cast as in undetermined roles.

Development[edit]

Joker (2019) was intended to be a standalone film with no sequels,[11] but due to earning $1.079 billion on a budget between $55-70 million, Warner Bros. intended for it to launch DC Black, a line of DC Comics-based films unrelated to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) franchise with darker, more experimental material, similar to the DC Black Label comics publisher.[12][13][14] While director Todd Phillips said in August 2019 that he would be interested in making a sequel, depending on the film's performance and if Phoenix was interested,[15] he later clarified that "the movie's not set up to [have] a sequel. We always pitched it as one movie, and that's it."[16]

In October 2019, Phoenix spoke to journalist and Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers of possibly reprising the role of Arthur, centering on Travers' asking of Phoenix if he considers Joker to be his "dream role." Phoenix stated, "I can't stop thinking about it... if there's something else we can do with Joker that might be interesting,"[17] and concluded, "It's nothing that I really wanted to do prior to working on this movie. I don't know that there is [more to do] ... Because it seemed endless, the possibilities of where we can go with the character."[18] He was paid $20 million for his involvement.[19]

In November 2019, The Hollywood Reporter reported that a sequel was in development, with Phillips, Silver, and Phoenix allegedly expected to reprise their duties.[20] However, Deadline Hollywood reported the same day that The Hollywood Reporter's story was false and that negotiations had not even begun yet.[21] Phillips responded to the reports by saying that he had discussed a sequel with Warner Bros. and it remained a possibility, but it was not in development.[22] Phillips also confirmed that The Batman (2022) would not be set in the same continuity as Joker.[23] During an interview with Variety at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Phillips expressed interest in a spin-off focusing on Batman, saying, "It's a beautiful Gotham. What I would like to see someone tackle is what Batman looks like from that Gotham. I'm not saying I'm going to do that. What was interesting to me about the inclusion of Batman in our movie was 'What kind of Batman does that Gotham make?' That's all I meant by that."[23] In June 2022, Phillips announced that the sequel was in development, with a script by him and Silver. The film was also revealed to be titled Joker: Folie à Deux.[24][25] By February 2023, DC Studios CEO James Gunn confirmed that Folie à Deux would be a DC Elseworlds project, taking place outside the main cinematic DC Universe (DCU).[b][28]

Casting[edit]

Days after the film's official announcement, it was announced Lady Gaga was in talks to portray Harley Quinn and that the film would be a musical.[29] Gaga would confirm her casting later that summer.[30] She received $12 million for her involvement.[1] In August 2022, it was reported Zazie Beetz was in negotiations to reprise her role as Sophie Dumond in the film.[31] Beetz was confirmed to be reprising her role the following month, alongside the cast additions of Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Jacob Lofland.[6][7][8] Gleeson joined the project out of his admiration for both Phoenix's "indelible" performance in the first film and Gaga, but admitted to being "kinda intimidated" by what he had to do for his role.[32] In October, Harry Lawtey joined the cast in what Deadline Hollywood reported as a "big role".[9]