Joker 2 will be quite a bit different than the original as it is reportedly a musical.
While director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix are returning for Joker: Folie à Deux, a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, states that the dark character piece will now have songs and be a musical. As such, the character of Harley Quinn will be introduced with musician and star actress Lady Gaga currently in talks to play the romantic interest of Joker.
Character details on this incarnation of Quinn are currently under wraps, although generally, the character is a psychiatrist turned sidekick of Joker after falling in love with the criminal. The report also notes that Phoenix’s deal to return isn’t completely set but negotiations are “deep into” finalizing a deal.
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“Director Todd Phillips’ original, stand-alone origin story Joker explores the world of—and according to—Arthur Fleck,” says the synopsis. “Indelibly portrayed by Phoenix, Arthur is a man facing the cruelty and outright scorn of society, along with the indifference of a system that allows him to spiral from vulnerability into depravity. A clown-for-hire by day, he strives to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds that the joke always seems to be on him. He’s out of tune with everyone around him, as evidenced by his uncontrollable, inappropriate laughter, which gains momentum as he attempts to contain it, exposing him to further ridicule—and even violence.
“Arthur, who devotes himself to caring for his fragile mother, seeks out every father figure he’s never had, from wealthy businessman Thomas Wayne to TV host Murray Franklin. Caught in a cyclical existence teetering on the precipice of reality and madness, one bad decision brings about a chain reaction of escalating, ultimately deadly, events.”
Phoenix starred as the titular villain with Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), Bill Camp (Red Sparrow, Molly’s Game), Frances Conroy (American Horror Story), Brett Cullen (Narcos), Glenn Fleshler (Barry), Douglas Hodge (Penny Dreadful), Marc Maron (GLOW), Josh Pais (Motherless Brooklyn), and Shea Whigham (First Man).
