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Todd Phillips is behind the musical sequel to his 2019 hit.
By Aaron Couch
Film Editor
The first trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux brings together unites Oscar winners Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga for one of the more intriguing entries of the 2024 theatrical calendar.
Warner Bros. unveiled the look at CinemaCon, where Joker 2 is among the top titles theater owners were curious for a glimpse at — and for good reason. It’s a sequel to a $1 billion hit that earned Phoenix an Oscar, but is also taking a left turn by entering the musical genre.
But director Todd Phillips noted that in some ways it’s not all that different from the first, which also had music as a key element.
“We never talked about it like that,” said Phillips when asked if it was a musical. “I like to say it’s a movie where music is an essential element. To me, that doesn’t veer to far from the first film.” In the first film, “Arthur has music in him. He has a grace to him.”
Before introducing the trailer, Phillips revealed that he had wanted to come to CinemaCon in 2020 just to thank theater owners, despite not having a film to promote.
“I did want to say thank you to you guys … about a month before the first Joker came out, the narrative on the film really turned,” he said, noting that there was speculation the film could inspire violence. He thanked theater owners for staying strong and sticking with the film.
Phoenix returns to the role of Arthur Fleck, while Lady Gaga appears a role said to be inspired by the comic book character Harley Quinn. The duo are known for their toxic romantic relationship in the comics, with the Folie à Deux title referencing the medical term for an identical or similar mental disorder impacting two or more people, usually members of the same family.
The first Joker surprised in 2019 with more than $1 billion at the box office, making it the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time. Phoenix starred as an aspiring comic who spirals after his mental health issues come to a head until he adopts the Joker persona, who ends the film with a folk hero-like status as he inspires a riot in Gotham. The sequel is said to have musical elements and reunites director Phillips with Gaga after Phillips produced her music-centric A Star Is Born remake.
Phillips had been meting out looks at the film, first with a December 2022 Instagram post of Phoenix in character, and on Valentine’s Day 2023 the first-look at Lady Gaga in character with Phoenix.
Phillips wrote the film with Scott Silver. The Joker sequel is part of the DC Elseworlds brand, which allows for stories set outside of the shared DC Universe being crafted by DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II movie and HBO Max Penguin series are also under that banner.
The film opens Oct. 4.
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