“Joker,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and directed by Todd Phillips, became one of the most successful comic book films of all time after its 2019 release.
Not only was it the first R-rated movie to earn $1 billion at the global box office, it’s also the first film based on a comic book to earn the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
It may not be the highest grossing R-rated film of all time anymore, but it’s still beloved by fans, and the sequel, “Joker: Folie à Deux” is very close to release, starting with a return to Venice this week for its world premiere.
Here’s everything we know so far:
When does “Joker: Folie à Deux” come out?
The sequel is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 4.
Is there a trailer?
There is! The first teaser trailer was released in April, but a more detailed one dropped at the end of July. You can watch it below.
Who stars in “Joker: Folie à Deux”?
Joaquin Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck, aka the Joker himself in Todd Phillips’ sequel. The movie also brings in Lady Gaga to play Harley Quinn, and “Deadpool 2” star Zazie Beetz returns as Arthur’s neighbor Sophie Dumond.
Catherine Keener, Brendan Gleeson, Steve Coogan and more are also part of the cast.
What is “Joker: Folie à Deux” about?
Exact details of the plot for the sequel remain unknown, but we do know that it will track the toxic relationship between Arthur Fleck and Harleen Quinzel, who eventually becomes Harley Quinn, the villain fans have come to know and love from “Batman: The Animated Series” through Margot Robbie’s on-screen portrayal.
But, don’t expect Lady Gaga’s take on the character to be all that similar to Robbie’s. Director Todd Phillips told Variety that “The high voice, that accent, the gum-chewing and all that sort of sassy stuff that’s in the comics, we stripped that away. We wanted her to fit into this world of Gotham that we created from the first movie.”
Will it be a musical?
Technically yes, but Phillips has struggled with that label. He also explained to Variety in August that “Most of the music in the movie is really just dialogue. It’s just Arthur not having the words to say what he wants to say, so he sings them instead.”
“I just don’t want people to think that it’s like ‘In the Heights,’ where the lady in the bodega starts to sing and they take it out onto the street, and the police are dancing,” Phillips added.
While on the ground for the film’s Venice premiere, Lady Gaga said something similar, reiterating that “the music is used to really give the characters a way to express what they need to say because the scene and dialogue is just not enough.”
Of course, Merriam-Webster’s literal definition of a musical is “a film or theatrical production typically of a sentimental or humorous nature that consists of musical numbers and dialogue based on a unifying plot.”
Apparently, the songs take place in the twisted minds of Arthur and Harley. But nonetheless, they are songs, and Lady Gaga will sing.
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