When the original became one of the highest-grossing R-rated movies of all time, grossing over $1 billion and winning the lead actor an Oscar, it is fair to say that Joker: Folie a Deux is highly anticipated. Now the sequel has a full-length trailer.
Joaquin Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck. This time he is joined by Harleen Quinzel in the form of Lady Gaga. The story is said to unfold almost entirely within the walls of Gotham’s infamous Arkham Asylum and takes its visual inspiration from Francis Ford Coppola’s musical One from the Heart.
The story will have what they are referring to as “musical elements” as Arthur, incarcerated in Arkham, meets Quinzel and the two fall madly in love, experiencing musical delusions together.
This sounds intriguing, but it also sounds like it has almost limitless potential to disappear up its own ass in a reverse log of pretentiousness. They must tread carefully.
In a sub-plot, Fleck’s followers start a movement to free him from Arkham, starting him on his journey to becoming Gotham’s nightmare.
Zazie Beetz, Catherine Keener, Brendan Gleeson, and Jacob Lofland co-star. Phillips once again directs from a script he wrote with Scott Silver. This will be considered a DC Elseworlds project, so will exist outside of Peter Safran and James Gunn’s DC Universe.
Joker: Folie a Deux premieres in cinemas on October 4th.