Joker 2 Adds Brendan Gleeson to Its Cast

The Joker sequel Joker: Folie a´ Deux has added actor Brendan Gleeson to its cast – although Warner Bros. Pictures isn’t saying who he is playing. Gleeson is a renowned character actor, whose highlights include 28 Days Later, Troy, the Harry Potter films, cult-hit In Bruges, and playing Donald Trump in the TV miniseries The Comey Rule. Gleeson has the range and screen persona to play anything from a caring doctor to an insane inmate (and/or iconic Batman villain) locked up in Arkham Asylum – so this casting is going to keep fans guessing. 

And UPDATE from scooper Justin Kroll claims that Gleeson will likely play the warden or a security guard of Arkham Asylum, the iconic prison/hospital for the criminally insane of Gotham City. Many Batman rogues end up in Arkham due to their (obvious) psychological disorders, with The Joker being the institution’s most infamous patient. It’s already been said that a good deal of Joker 2 will be set in Arkham (as a musical, no less), so really making that place into its own cinematic world will be key. 

As for Gleeson: there is always the holdout hope that he is going to end up playing a character from Batman lore who gets re-interpreted through the (bent) lens of director Todd Phillips’ Joker Universe. Doctor Hugo Strange would be an obvious choice: Strange is a sadistic mental manipulator and mad scientist – the perfect sort of “antagonist” for Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck to go up against – and a perfect way for Todd Phillips to extend the series’ social commentary into the treatment of mental health (or lack thereof). Hugo Strange is also the perfect kind of “wolf in sheep’s clothing” role that Gleeson can masterfully navigate – appearing as ‘the good doctor’ before we get to see the frightening reality. 

This casting also means that Brendan Gleeson could be sharing some significant screen time with Lady Gaga, who will be co-starring as Harley Quinn in the sequel. Harleen Quinzel is a pivotal figure in Arkham lore: a brilliant criminal psychologist who is nonetheless seduced by the Joker’s madness and ends up being his cohort and girlfriend for many years. Harleen’s slow-burn descent into madness could see her having to have some pretty intense discussions on ethics with Gleeson’s character (if early speculation is correct) – or unwittingly get manipulated by him as a honeypot for Fleck’s Joker – until the table’s inevitably get turned.

Joker: Folie a´ Deux is in production for release in theaters on October 4, 2024. 

Source: Deadline