The much-discussed and highly-anticipated Joker sequel has now received a release date and its title confirmed.
According to the Deadline, (opens in new tab) Production on the sequel, which is now formally titled Joker: Folie à Deux, will begin in December, with the film now scheduled to hit theaters on October 4, 2024.
The release date had previously been drawn for an untitled DC movie, now revealed to be the second coming of Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck.
As previously reported, Lady Gaga is expected to star opposite Phoenix in the role of Harley Quinn, the Joker’s longtime and volatile love interest, with the sequel moving away from the gritty drama of the original and becoming a musical.
Folie à Deux is a psychiatric term referring to shared psychosis between two or more individuals due to proximity, which strongly suggests the potential for a twisted and tragic love story between Phoenix’s Joker and Gaga’s Harley Quinn.
Todd Phillips, who directed the original, returns and co-wrote the script with Scott Silver.
In the Variety report (opens in new tab)about the sequel, they indicate that Phoenix will earn $20 million for reprising his role, with no details on Gaga’s pay revealed yet.
No plot details about the sequel have been revealed yet, nor has there been any discussion about who will compose the music for the musical. Hildur Guðnadóttir won an Oscar for her score for the first film, but it remains to be seen if she will return or if a more experienced musical type will be brought in.
Analysis: A big boost for the DC universe?
Joker is a funny movie to categorize in that regard. On the one hand, it’s a DC property, a DC character, and Warner Bros. was very happy with the billion dollars it made at the box office. But it seemed like he was always destined to be alone.
Despite numerous references to the wider world of Batman in Phillips’ film, the Joker’s setting and style and R-rating made it implausible for you to suddenly Ben Affleck’s Batman would suddenly appear.
The Batman sequel is in pre-production, and director Matt Reeves has already ruled out the possibility of any crossover with Phoenix’s Joker. In large part, this is because Reeves apparently has his own plans for the character in his own franchise.
When it comes to coherence, DC movies have always lagged behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with big ties like Justice League and Suicide Squad falling apart. In fact, when characters were allowed to be alone, without joining other mainstays, that’s when they really blossomed and Joker is a perfect example of that.
In short, you’re unlikely to see Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne duet with Phoenix’s Joker in Folie à Deux, as fun as that might be.
