Lady Gaga will star opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Phillips’ sequel to The Joker.
Folie A Deux will be the name of the next Joker movie, which will come out on October 4, 2024. In addition to serving as co-writer of the sequel’s script, director Todd Phillips will return, and Joaquin Phoenix will return to the character of Arthur Fleck, a.k.a. the Joker.
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On her official social media page, Lady Gaga posted a video where she revealed the casting. As an instrumental rendition of the jazz song “Cheek to Cheek” plays in the background, silhouettes of Gaga and Phoenix gently dance over a crimson background. Phoenix’s laughing may be heard above the title card as the two silhouettes dance together. The film’s scheduled release date, October 4, 2024, is revealed in the final frame.
With almost $1.07 billion in global box office receipts, The Joker broke all records for highest-grossing R-rated movie earnings. It got 11 Oscar nominations and Phoenix and composer Hildur Gudnadottir, who won for best composition, both took home two awards. For playing Arthur Fleck, the emotionally troubled standup comedian and professional clown who eventually changes into the titular DC villain, Phoenix received his second best actor Oscar.
Phoenix was seen reading the finished Folie à Deux script in a June Instagram post by Joker director Todd Phillips. Since earlier this summer, there have been rumours about Lady Gaga playing Phoenix’s opposite in the movie. Many think she’ll play Harley Quinn, Fleck’s doctor at Arkham Asylum, who falls for him and joins the criminal underworld.
Folie à Deux, the name of the follow-up film, alludes to a shared psychosis or hallucination condition that can be passed from one person to another. Given Gaga’s placement, it is likely that the sequel will be a musical, as has been rumoured. For penning “Shallow” from the 2019 film A Star is Born, in which she also starred, she was awarded the Oscar for best original song. In the same year, she received a nomination for best actress.
The announcement of Gaga’s hiring comes during a trying week for Warner Bros. and DC, which also revealed the cancellation of six original movies from its streaming service, HBO Max, as well as the $90 million, nearly done Batgirl movie. But maybe what the faltering studio really needs is a super-villain musical starring Gaga and Phoenix.
first appeared on Vanityfair.com