Joker: Folie à Deux has cast Jacob Lofland in what is being described as a “key role.” Lofland, who appeared in the Maze Runner franchise as well as in the film A Home on the Bayou, is reportedly going to be an inmate at Arkham Asylum, who develops a relationship with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix). Phoenix and director Todd Phillips are returning to the world of their billion-dollar hit, and this time Lady Gaga will join the cast in the role of Harley Quinn. Other cast members confirmed to appear so far include Brendon Gleeson (Paddington 2) and Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich).
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Shortly after The Hollywood Reporter broke the casting news, fans online started speculating which villain Lofland might turn out to be. There isn’t much information to go on, though, so fans may have to wait until the movie is at least in production before getting some of those answers.
After weeks of rumors, Lady Gaga confirmed her involvement with the film last month, with a short, animated teaser for the film released on her Twitter account. The title is a reference to a psychological condition in which two people who are in close proximity will share a common delusion, usually brought on by the more dominant of the two personalities and bleeding into the psyche of the other person. The disorder is rare, and usually impacts people within extremely close families or sometimes religious groups and romantic couplings. The title itself hints at the likely premise of the movie.
In the comics, Harleen Quinzel is a psychiatrist working at Arkham Asylum, who becomes Harley Quinn when she falls in love with The Joker and aids him in his escape from the institution, and then willingly allows him to subject her to a similar chemical bath to the one that disfigured him. No such major disfiguring event happened in Joker, so it’s likely that element of the story will be changed, at least somewhat.
According to sources close to the sequel, “a lot” of Joker 2 takes place inside Arkham Asylum. That makes sense, given that the relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn was built up inside of the building’s walls. Reports about the Joker sequel in recent months have revealed that the film will not only introduce Harley, but that the film will also be a musical.
Warner Bros. will release Joker: Folie à Deux only in theaters on October 4, 2024. Upcoming DC Films include Black Adam (October 21, 2022), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17, 2023), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 25, 2023), The Flash (June 23, 2023), and Blue Beetle (August 18, 2023).
