Ever since director Todd Phillips announced the forthcoming sequel to his 2019 blockbuster hit Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix, fans have theorized which lucky actress would wind up playing opposite the Oscar-winner’s crazed Gotham City villain.
Dubbed Joker: Folie À Deux, Lady Gaga has confirmed her casting by posting a promotional teaser to her social media platforms. The black and red video plays to the tune of “Cheek to Cheek,” which Gaga has covered alongside her close collaborator Tony Bennett. As silhouettes of Phoenix and Gaga join together in dance, we hear a bit of Phoenix’s maniacal laughter as Joker, before a release date of October 4, 2024, is revealed.
While we’ve all become aware of Gaga’s acting chops in recent years, with stellar performances in American Horror Story, A Star is Born, and House of Gucci, there may be another reason Gaga was the perfect fit for her role. Rumored to be playing the beloved antiheroine Harley Quinn (previously portrayed by Margot Robbie), Joker: Folie À Deux will be set in a musical format.
Once Phillips shared the screenplay’s cover, revealing the title back in June, fans quickly gathered ideas surrounding the plot. Since the phrase Folie À Deux refers to a shared psychological disorder, many suspect the sequel to revolve around Joker’s tumultuous romance with his psychiatrist Harley Quinn.
According to classic DC canon, Harley Quinn meets Arthur Fleck (a.k.a. Joker) during his stay at Arkham Asylum, where she becomes uncontrollably infatuated with her patient.
While the 2019 film shared some insight into the origin story of Batman’s arch-nemesis, Joker 2 will hopefully display the chaotic relationship between Phoenix’s Fleck and Gaga’s Harley Quinn.
