Joker: Folie à Deux is getting better by the day. While Todd Philips and Joaquin Phoenix return to tell the story of Arthur Fleck, Lady Gaga has been added to the cast as Harley Quinn. The sequel will be a musical and while we all loved Phoenix’s dance moves in the original feature the sequel will test his singing abilities. In a new profile with Variety composer Hildur Guðnadóttir confirmed that she is returning to compose the feature and has already begun work.
At the 92nd Academy Awards Joker made history by becoming the first comic book movie to gathered 11 nominations, including Best Picture, breaking the record of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight which bagged 8. Among them, it won two, Best Actor for Phoenix and Best Original Score for Guðnadóttir. With the sequel being a musical, the expectations will be higher from the artist. Along with an Oscar, Guðnadóttir also won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe making her the first female composer to win all three.
While the plot of Folie à Deux is kept tightly under wraps it has been reported that the sequel will take place at the infamous Arkham Asylum. Based on the title, which is a French phrase that means "shared madness by two people in close association,” we can deduced that Phoenix and Gaga will be sharing their madness. The movie begun production in December last year, which was confirmed when Philip gave us the first look from the set.
Hildur rose to fame with her film and television scores, which includes Journey's End, Mary Magdalene, Sicario: Day of the Soldado. Last year, she scored Todd Field's Tár and Sarah Polley's Women Talking both of which are expected to be award-season favorites this year. She is also known for her work on the HBO miniseries Chernobyl which won her a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA TV Award, and a Grammy Award.
Along with Phoenix and Gaga, Folie à Deux also casts Zazie Beetz who will reprise her character Sophie Dumond, a cynical single mother whom Arthur thought was his love interest in the first movie. Also rounding off the cast in undisclosed roles are Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Harry Lawtey. Philips is back at the helm to direct and has co-written the story with scribe Scott Silver.
Joker: Folie à Deux is set for an October 4, 2024 release date. You can learn more about the feature below: