Joker: Folie à Deux is deep into its production process, with plenty of information including release timing and casting out there about this upcoming DC sequel.
Alongside the new DCU's Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate, DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran confirmed that Joker 2 would become the first movie produced under DC's Elseworlds banner.
After the original film became one of the most successful R-rated movies in history, breaking $1 billion at the box office and earning 11 Oscar nominations, anticipation is high for everything on the way this time around.
Joker 2 Release Date: When Will It Come Out?
For the time being, Joker: Folie à Deux is set to debut in theaters on October 4, 2024, although there are a number of factors that could push that date.
Production for the project isn't a huge issue with filming having wrapped, although there's one big factor that could be in play - the ongoing Writers'/Screen Actors' Guild strikes.
With basically all of Hollywood now shut down due to these strikes, Warner Bros. may be forced to push Joker 2 from its current release date depending on how far director Todd Phillips is in post-production.
While the strikes should be over by the time Joker 2 would gear up for its release, delays could come into play if the sequel needs to do any reshoots, which nearly every major superhero production these days does.
Thankfully, initial filming for Joker 2 wrapped in April 2023, with Phillips confirming the news in an Instagram post featuring pictures of stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga along with the following caption thanking the duo for their work:
"That’s a wrap. Thanks to these two (+ the entire cast) and the BEST crew that the film industry has to offer. From top to bottom. Gonna crawl into a cave now (edit room) and put it all together."
Will Joker 2 Have Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn?
Where there's a Joker, more often than not, there's some version of Harley Quinn. And that's exactly the case for Joker 2, with Oscar-nominee and Grammy-winner Lady Gaga taking on the iconic role of the Joker's insane love interest.
This will be a different version of Harley Quinn than fans are used to, as she'll be portrayed as a patient at Arkham Asylum rather than as a doctor that falls for the Joker while treating him.
Lady Gaga has been seen in action in a couple of set videos from Joker 2, throwing the contents of a trash can onto a window before destroying the glass and stealing a TV inside of a store.
Additionally, she'll get her own version of the classic Harley Quinn duds, donning a costume that will fit well into the world of Joaquin Phoenix's Joker.
Is Joker 2 Really a Musical?
Joker 2 will take a much different route than superhero movies of this day and age, as this sequel will actually be a full-blown musical.
Star Zazie Beetz commented on the film being a musical, noting that the decision "makes wonderful sense" while praising director Todd Phillips for his "creative approach to the character:"
"I actually think it makes wonderful sense. I wasn’t really surprised by that. Todd [Phillips] has always had a creative approach to the character. I love musicals, and I think of them as the characters are feeling and experiencing so much that they can only sing and dance about it, whether in sorrow or in joy."
There have also been videos from the set released showing Lady Gaga putting her musical genius on display already, which only makes sense considering she's a 13-time Grammy winner, an Oscar winner, and even an Oscar-nominated actress.
With the last movie dipping into classic jazz-style music from the 1950s and 1960s, Joker 2 should continue that theme with Gaga's style of singing being at the forefront.
Who Is Cast in Joker 2?
While only a trio of stars from the first movie are confirmed to be back for Joker 2, there will also be a host of newcomers joining this Elseworlds sequel for a wild and crazy ride.
Joaquin Phoenix - Arthur Fleck/Joker
Unsurprisingly, Joaquin Phoenix will be back to play the titular Arthur Fleck (aka the Joke) after he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the original movie. And this time, all signs are pointing to his Joker being crazier than ever after fully evolving into the classic DC antagonist, especially now that he's been hauled off to Arkham Asylum.
While story details are still mostly a mystery on where the Joker will go in this sequel, it's a near guarantee that he'll escape to start up a new round of mayhem in Gotham City.
Lady Gaga - Harley Quinn
DC Studios brought on Grammy-winner and Oscar-nominee Lady Gaga to embody this universe's Harley Quinn, the Joker's on/off love interest who is often seen inciting chaos alongside the Clown Prince of Crime.
She's also such a big part of the sequel that she's reportedly being billed as a co-lead for Joker 2, with the movie actually being told through her perspective rather than through the Joker.
Brendan Gleeson
Playing an undisclosed role in Joker 2 will be Brendan Gleeson, who officially joined the cast in September 2022.
Along with his role as Mad-Eye Moody in the Harry Potter series, Gleeson recently took the spotlight for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin alongside fellow DC star Colin Farrell and the MCU's Barry Keoghan.
Catherine Keener
Two-time Oscar-nominee Catherine Keener will join the DC Universe with her first live-action superhero role.
She voiced the villainous Screenslaver in Disney and Pixar’s Incredibles 2 in 2018, and she also had notable roles in Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Shawn Levy’s The Adam Project.
Jacob Lofland
26-year-old Jacob Lofland plays an undisclosed role in Joker 2 as part of this all-star cast of actors.
Lofland’s biggest credits thus far come from the Maze Runner franchise, playing Aris in 2015’s The Scorch Trials and 2018’s The Death Cure.
Harry Lawtey
Joker 2 will feature Harry Lawtey in an undisclosed supporting role, adding to the actor’s resume after appearing in just over a dozen other projects.
Currently, Lawtey is best known for his TV roles in Industry and You & Me, both of which feature him as a leading character.
Will Joker 2 Be Connected to The Batman?
With DC going in a number of different directions with its various individual franchises, Joker 2 will not feature any connection whatsoever to Matt Reeves' universe being built in The Batman.
These two stories take place in completely separate universes, with Robert Pattinson already grown up and into his superhero journey in his movies while the Joker films feature a younger Bruce Wayne.
There's also the obvious fact that Barry Keoghan was confirmed to be the Reeves universe's Joker in one of the final scenes of The Batman - clearly a different version of the character than Joaquin Phoenix's Clown Prince of Crime.
For those looking for these two movies to crossover, it almost definitely will not become a reality unless some kind of crazy Multiversal storyline comes into place.
What Will Happen in Joker 2?
Looking at how the Joker was thrown into Arkham Asylum at the end of his first movie, it's no surprise that Joker 2 will take a trip back to the most famous prison/mental facility in DC Comics.
This location is where Joker 2 will largely take place, with the prison rumored to play a big role in the story after the Joker was first incarcerated at the end of his 2019 solo movie.
Rumors noted that in Joker 2, Harley Quinn will be seen as a patient of Arkham rather than the doctor assigned to help the Joker, taking a different direction from the story laid out in DC Comics for so many years in the prison.
While story details beyond that are scarce, this new adventure should be fairly contained as the iconic comic book pair work their way through the Asylum and learn about each other's wild and insane tendencies.
And looking at the title Folie à Deux, which translates to "delusion or mental illness shared by two people in close association," the duo should have every opportunity to build on their insanity with Arkham serving as the focal point for the plot.
Joker 2 Trailer: When Will It Come Out?
With Joker 2 having completed filming earlier this year, fans are curious to see when the film’s official first trailer will make its way to the public.
The sequel took a unique route by actually releasing a short teaser with animated footage of the Joker and Harley Quinn dancing with one another long before a full-length trailer ever saw the light of day.
Looking back, the first Joker had its first proper trailer hit the internet on April 3, 2019, before the full movie came to theaters on October 4 of that same year, marking a 184-day window between releases.
While those windows have gotten much shorter in recent years for some movies, fans can probably expect something similar to what the original movie did when taking into account how early filming is done.
With Joker 2 not hitting theaters until October 4, 2024, the expectation is that a first trailer will arrive sometime in the April-May range next year before the film's official promotional tour begins.
Even though the ongoing writers' and actors' strikes could potentially lead to some delays for the DC Universe, Joker 2 is far enough ahead that the DC faithful should not worry too much.
But even then, nothing can be guaranteed should the strike continue over the next few months as many believe it will, which could lead to some unfortunate ramifications on the release side of things.
Joker: Folie à Deux is currently set to premiere in theaters on October 4, 2024.
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