Joker 2: Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn Performance Praised by Casting Director

The countdown is officially on for Joker: Folie à Deux, the massive sequel to Warner Bros. surprising DC hit. As the film’s first trailer revealed earlier this year, Joker: Folie à Deux is set to be a musical, pairing Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck / Joker with a new Harley Quinn, portrayed by Lady Gaga. During a panel at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, casting director Francine Maisler offered very high praise for Gaga’s work in the film, arguing that the actress and musician more than holds her own while playing such an iconic character.

“She’s so good in it, you guys,” Maisler explained. “She’s going to blow your mind. I didn’t suggest Lady Gaga. It wasn’t my idea. That was Todd Phillips, before me. But I will tell you, she’s really surprising — and really good. I saw it and I was really surprised. I mean, we all knew what she could do in A Star is Born, but I thought, ‘Oh, well, that’s kind of in her wheelhouse.’ Something she could do and just be real. But this… Man, she’s good. Joaquin blows your mind, but that she could keep up with him, and be real — and not just wiped off the screen by what that role is and what the performance is — shows she’s good.”

What Is Joker 2 About?

Joker: Folie à Deux will be a musical that follows the twisted romance between Arthur Fleck and Harley Quinn, with a lot of the film believed to be taking place within Arkham Asylum. Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker: Folie à Deux will also feature appearances from Zazie Beetz, Brendon Gleeson, Catherine Keener, and Jacob Lofland.

“I actually think it makes wonderful sense,” Beetz previously said of the film’s musical elements. “I wasn’t really surprised by that Todd 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. And I can actually see that within myself as well, because singing and dancing is quite a cathartic experience for me. I was going through a really, really difficult time at one point in my life, and I just started dancing and crying by myself. And that was an expression that matched where I was at that moment. And so, I can see Arthur, who is feeling and experiencing so much, dancing and singing about it. He’s the Joker, so I think it makes sense to me.”

Is Joker 2 in the DC Universe?

Joker: Folie à Deux is technically classified as a DC Elseworlds production, meaning that it exists in a canon outside of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s forthcoming DC Universe of movies and Max-exclusive television shows. In a previous post on the social media platform Threads, Gunn revealed his involvement in Folie a Deux, explaining that he did give notes on the finished footage. That being said, Gunn did stress that the Joker sequel is one of the few upcoming DC films being shepherded by Warner Bros. Pictures, given when the film was first put into development.

“Todd had Joker in full swing by the time we came onboard – I’ve watched and given notes, but it is mostly with WB, where it started,” Gunn wrote at the tim. “Everything forward in live-action we’re involved with.”

Joker: Folie à Deux will be released exclusively in theaters on Friday, October 4th.

h/t: Deadline