Joker: Folie à Deux

Joker: Folie à Deux is an upcoming American musical thriller film directed by Todd Phillips, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver. Based on DC Comics characters, the film is the sequel to Joker (2019) and stars Joaquin Phoenix, reprising his role as the Joker, and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. Zazie Beetz also reprises her role from the first film. It is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, Bron Creative and Joint Effort. Principal photography took place in Los Angeles, New York, and Cedar Grove, New Jersey, from December 2022 to April 2023.
Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 4, 2024, by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Cast
Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker: A mentally ill, impoverished former party clown and stand-up comedian disregarded by society, whose history of physical and mental abuse caused him to become a nihilistic criminal with a clown-inspired persona.
Lady Gaga as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn: A psychiatrist initially assigned to treat Arthur; her curiosity eventually turns to obsession and she forms a deadly romantic relationship with him.
Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond: A single mother and Arthur's former neighbor.
Additionally, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Harry Lawtey have been cast in undisclosed roles.
Production
Development
Joker (2019) was intended to be a standalone film with no sequels, but 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. 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, 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." 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," 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." He was paid $20million for his involvement.
In November 2019, The Hollywood Reporter announced that a sequel was in development, with Phillips, Silver, and Phoenix expected to reprise their duties. However, Deadline Hollywood reported the same day that The Hollywood Reporters story was false and that negotiations had not even begun yet. 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. Phillips also confirmed that The Batman (2022) would not be set in the same continuity as Joker. 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." 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.
Casting
Later that month, it was announced Lady Gaga was in talks to portray Harley Quinn and that the film would be a musical. Gaga would confirm her casting later that summer. In August, it was reported Zazie Beetz was in negotiations to reprise her role as Sophie Dumond in the film. Beetz was confirmed to be reprising her role the following month, alongside the cast additions of Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Jacob Lofland. 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" as to what he had to do for his role. In October, Harry Lawtey joined the cast in what Deadline Hollywood reported as a "big role".
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). In May 2023, the character of Harvey Dent was set to appear in the film.
Filming
Principal photography began on December 10, 2022, with Phillips releasing a first look on his Instagram account and Lawrence Sher serving as cinematographer. Sher had cited Francis Ford Coppola's One From the Heart (1982) as a source of visual inspiration for the film. Exterior filming occurred in Los Angeles and New York by March 2023. Lady Gaga had filmed scenes with a crowd of extras demanding Joker's arrest outside of the New York County Courthouse, which had led some people nearby to mistake it for the arrest of Donald Trump following his first indictment. Arkham Asylum scenes were filmed at the abandoned Essex County Isolation Hospital in New Jersey. In April 2023, filming took place at the "Joker Stairs", the stairway on West 167th street in the Bronx featured prominently in the first film. Filming officially wrapped on April 5, 2023. The film is shot partially with IMAX-certified digital cameras.
Music
The film will feature musical elements and Hildur Guðnadóttir has composed the musical score for the film, returning from the first film.
Release
Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on October 4, 2024, by Warner Bros Pictures.
Accolades
The trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux received a nomination for Best Graphics in a TV Spot (for a Feature Film) at the 2023 Golden Trailer Awards.
Notes
References
External links
2020s musical drama films
American crime drama films
American crime thriller films
American films about revenge
American musical drama films
American psychological drama films
American psychological thriller films
Bron Studios films
Films about criminals
Films about intellectual disability
Films about murderers
Films directed by Todd Phillips
Films produced by Bradley Cooper
Films produced by Todd Phillips
Films scored by Hildur Guðnadóttir
Films set in prison
Films set in psychiatric hospitals
Films shot in Los Angeles
Films with screenplays by Scott Silver
Films with screenplays by Todd Phillips
Harley Quinn in other media
Joker (character) in other media
Live-action films based on DC Comics
Supervillain films
Village Roadshow Pictures films
Warner Bros. films
Upcoming sequel films