Warner Bros.'s Joker: Folie à Deux dropped the first look at Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn.
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Folie à Deux director Todd Phillips released the first image of Lady Gaga's performance as Harley Quinn in the upcoming Joker sequel. Alongside her in the image is Joaquin Phoenix, reprising his role as the Clown Prince of Crime.
It was first announced in August 2022 that Lady Gaga had joined the cast of Folie à Deux. The acclaimed actor/singer recently hinted that she had started filming for the sequel in January. While she did not specify that she was on set for Folie à Deux, this lined up with previous comments from Phillips, who confirmed that Gaga would "start with us until after the new year." The first look at Phoenix's return as Arthur Fleck/Joker was revealed in December 2022.
Margot Robbie Passes Harley Quinn's Baton
Prior to Lady Gaga's casting, the role of Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn was previously portrayed in live-action by Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad. In response to the new casting, Robbie said it was always her intention for "Harley Quinn to be one of those characters the way Macbeth or Batman always gets passed, you know, from great actor to great actor."
According to Folie à Deux cinematographer Lawrence Sher, Gaga "will create a similar kind of magic that Joaquin brought by himself." He added, "The combination of the two will be exactly what we hope, which is exciting, and we’ll find magic every day on set. Hopefully, we’ll also have a bit of madness in there. We like when there is a little bit of chaos."
Starring Phoenix, the musical sequel to Joker will focus on the romance between the Clown Prince of Crime and Harley Quinn. Phillips officially confirmed that a follow-up to 2019's Joker would be moving forward under the title Joker: Folie à deux, named for a phenomenon in which two or more individuals experience an identical or similar mental disorder. The sequel will be written by Phillips and Scott Silver.
Where Joker and The Batman Fit in the DCU
News of a Joker sequel came after reports that greenlighting a follow-up to Joker was a priority for the new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. When it was released in theaters in 2019, Joker grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing DC film ever at the time. Meant to serve as an origin story to the infamous Batman villain, Joker is set in a self-contained universe. Similarly, DC Studios' co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran confirmed that both Joker and Matt Reeves' The Batman will be set in the Elseworlds continuity of the new DC Universe.
Joker: Folie à deux is expected to hit theaters on Oct. 4, 2024.
Source: Instagram