Summary
-
Joker: Folie à Deux
will reportedly be a jukebox musical, including 15 well-known songs and potentially even original tracks. - Lady Gaga’s casting as Harley Quinn in
Joker: Folie à Deux
came with confirmation that the project would be a movie musical. - The new musical genre of
Joker: Folie à Deux
will enhance the darker moments of Arthur Fleck’s story through his shared psychosis with Harley Quinn.
Joker: Folie à Deux will be a jukebox musical, according to a new report. Despite being developed as a standalone movie, the massive success of 2019’s Joker made a sequel inevitable. Todd Phillips’ Joker was the first R-rated movie to cross $1 billion at the global box office, and received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, with Joaquin Phoenix taking home the award for Best Actor. Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix are returning for Joker: Folie à Deux, releasing adjacent to James Gunn’s DC Universe on October 4, 2024, but the highly-anticipated sequel will be very different from its predecessor.
Joining Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck in Joker: Folie à Deux’s cast is Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn, whose casting announcement came alongside the reveal that Folie à Deux would be a movie musical. There was some confusion about how a musical genre would work in the twisted world of Todd Phillips’ Gotham City, but a March 2024 report by Variety has uncovered more details. According to Variety, Joker: Folie à Deux will be a jukebox musical, including at least 15 reinterpretations of “very well-known” songs, including “That’s Entertainment” from 1953 musical The Band Wagon, though additional original songs are also possible.
10 Biggest Theories We Already Have About Joker 2
Although plot details about Joker: Folie à Deux are still unknown, there are already various theories on what will happen to Arthur and Harley.
Why Joker: Folie À Deux’s New Genre Is Perfect For Arthur Fleck’s Story
Following the announcement that Joker: Folie à Deux would be a movie musical, there was some confusion about how this all-singing, all-dancing genre would work in the dark and gritty Joker franchise. 2019’s Joker displayed a grounded, realistic and haunting depiction of Gotham City and Arthur Fleck, whose descent into madness saw him transform into the villainous Joker. While it’s possible that a new musical genre could strip Joker: Folie à Deux of its intensity and drama, this actually might be the perfect choice for the growing franchise, particularly with Lady Gaga’s involvement as the Joker’s iconic partner-in-crime, Harley Quinn.
Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga will be joined by Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, Steve Coogan, Ken Leung, Harry Lawtey, Leigh Gill and Sharon Washington in
Joker: Folie à Deux
, with Beetz, Gill and Washington reprising their roles from 2019’s
Joker
.
2019’s Joker included brilliant moments of musicality, including Phoenix’s dance sequence on the “Joker Stairs”, so it makes sense for the sequel to ramp up these themes. In psychology, folie à deux is a form of shared psychosis, suggesting that Joker: Folie à Deux may put the connected madness of Arthur Fleck and Harley Quinn front-and-center, bringing musical numbers into their shared episodes. This would amp up the darkness of Arthur Fleck’s story while also providing more entertainment for audiences, suggesting that Joker: Folie à Deux will benefit from its changing tone and levity in the face of dark themes.
Source: Variety