Robert De Niro Reacts to Finding Out Joker 2 Is a Musical (Exclusive)

Despite the definitive nature of 2019's Joker, a sequel to the DC film is officially on the way, with Joker: Folie a Deux having wrapped production earlier this year. Folie a Deux has surprised fans even before cameras began to roll, from the confirmation that Lady Gaga would star alongside returning lead Joaquin Phoenix, to the word that the project will be a movie musical. Robert De Niro, who played Murray Franklin in the first Joker film, addressed the musical news while speaking to ComicBook.com's Chris Killian about his role in the upcoming film About My Father.

"Oh, it's gonna segue into a musical?" De Niro explained in our interview, which you can check out above. "I read that somewhere, too, with Joaquin Phoenix too, and he's gonna -- well, who knows how they're doing it? It's interesting. Yeah, it's fine."

What is Joker 2 about?

Joker: Folie a Deux will be a musical that follows the twisted romance between Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck / Joker and Gaga's Harley Quinn, with a lot of the film reportedly taking place within Arkham Asylum. The film will also feature appearances from Zazie Beetz, Brendon Gleeson, Catherine Keener, and Jacob Lofland.

"It makes me so happy, because I said from the very beginning that all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters, the way Macbeth or Batman, always gets passed from great actor to great actor," Margot Robbie previously said of Lady Gaga taking on the role. "It's kind of like someone gets to do their Batman, or someone gets to do their Macbeth. I feel like, in not so many cases, are they female characters – Queen Elizabeth I, but beyond that, which I got to have a crack out as well, which I was honored to do. I was like, 'Wow! Cate Blanchett did Queen Elizabeth I. Now I get to.' It's such an honor to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters that other actors get to have a go at playing. And I think she'll do something incredible with it."

Are you excited for Joker: Folie a Deux? What do you think of Robert De Niro's new comments? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Joker: Folie a Deux is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on October 4, 2024.