Lady Gaga Up to Play Harley Quinn in Joaquin Phoenix's Joker Musical Sequel
There's a sequel to Joker in the works with Todd Phillips set to return as director, and there have been quite a few rumors swirling lately that Lady Gaga would be joining Joaquin Phoenix in the new movie. Well, it now appears as though those rumors were true. The award-winning musician and star of House of Gucci is joining the world of DC in Joker: Folie à deux.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news on Monday that Lady Gaga is in talks to star in the anticipated Joker sequel. Not only that, the report also indicates that the new Joker film will be a musical. THR indicates that, if Gaga does end up joining the film, she'll be playing Harley Quinn, the character that has long been linked to Joker in the pages of DC Comics. More recent TV and film adaptations of the character, however, have pulled Harley away from Joker and focused on her solo journey.
Joker 2 has been talked about ever since the first movie broke records at the box office, shocking everyone by surpassing $1 billion at the global box office. Earlier this month, Phillips made things official by revealing the title of the film on social media. Folie à deux refers to the medical condition where two or more people start sharing delusions, which initially led many to believe Harley Quinn would be involved. That said, the musical angle is new and very unexpected.
Another Joker movie could go a long way towards establishing an R-rated brand or label for DC films, which has been the plan for Phillips from the beginning of his time working with the character.
"When I pitched them Joker, it wasn't a movie, it was, let's do a whole label," Phillips said in 2019. "They shut that down quickly and I get it. Who am I to walk in and start a label at a film studio? But they said, let's do this one."
"Here's the real truth about a sequel," he added. "While Joaquin and I have talked about it, and while touring the world with Warner Bros executives — going to Toronto, and Venice, and other places — of course, we're sitting at dinner and they're saying, 'So, have you thought about…?' But, talking about contracts, there's not a contract for us to even write a sequel, we've never approached Joaquin to be in a sequel. Will that happen? Again, I just think the article was anticipatory at best."
What do you think about this Joker 2 news? Are you looking forward to seeing Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn? Let us know in the comments!