The much-discussed and long-awaited Joker sequel now has a release date and its title has been confirmed.
According to Deadline, (opens in a new tab) production on the sequel, which is now officially titled Joker: Folie à Deux, will begin in December, and the film is now scheduled to hit theaters on October 4, 2024.
The release date had already been set for an untitled DC movie, now revealed to be the second coming of Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck.
As previously reported, Lady Gaga is expected to star opposite Phoenix as Harley Quinn, the Joker's longtime and volatile love interest, with the sequel to move away from the gritty drama of the original and become a musical.
Folie à Deux is a psychiatric term that refers to a shared psychosis between two or more people due to closeness, strongly suggesting the potential for a tragic and twisted love story between Phoenix's Joker and Harley Quinn by Gaga. .
Todd Phillips, who directed the original, returns and co-wrote the script with Scott Silver.
In Variety's report (opens in a new tab) on the sequel, they say that Phoenix will earn €20 million for reprising her role, with no details on Gaga's paycheck revealed.
No plot details about the sequel have yet been revealed, and there has been no discussion of who will compose the songs for the musical. Hildur Guðnadóttir won an Oscar for her music for the first film, but it is not yet clear if she will return or if a more experienced musical type will perform.
Analysis: A Big Boost for the DC Universe?
Joker is a fun movie to classify in that regard. For one thing, he's a DC property, a DC character, and Warner Bros. was thrilled with the $XNUMX billion he made at the box office. But he seemed like he was always destined to be left alone.
Despite numerous references to the larger world of Batman in Phillips' film, Joker's setting, style, and R-rating made the sudden appearance of Ben Affleck's Batman implausible.
The Batman sequel is in pre-production, and director Matt Reeves has already ruled out the possibility of a crossover with Phoenix's Joker. In large part, that's because Reeves apparently has his own plans for the character in his own franchise.
When it comes to consistency, DC movies have historically lagged behind in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with big tie-ins like Justice League and Suicide Squad flopping. In fact, when the characters were allowed to stand on their own, with no connection to other tents, that's when they really flourished, and Joker is a perfect example of that.
In short, you're unlikely to see Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne duet with Phoenix's Joker in Folie à Deux, as entertaining as it is.