When Joker came out three years ago, it achieved Oscar buzz for Joaquin Phoenix and earned a fan following. So, you can only imagine how many people were happy when they discovered that Joker 2 is a go. While shooting for the anticipated sequel hasn’t happened yet, Joaquin Phoenix has already found his follow-up movie.
The last time we saw real-life couple Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara in a movie together was in the biblical drama Mary Magdalene. Now, according to Deadline, we can see the engaged couple reunite in Pawel Pawlikowski’s The Island, which is set to start shooting next year. This upcoming movie release is inspired by true events about a 1930s couple who create their own private paradise on a deserted island, only for a countess and her two lovers to take over their area to build a luxury hotel. It makes me wonder if this movie is based on The Galapagos Affair where the same thing happened in the 1930s to German doctor Friedrich Ritter and his partner Dore Strauch, who had hoped to live a life away from Germany, only for Austrian Baroness Eloise Wehrborn de Wagner-Bosquet and her two German lovers to come and ruin it all.
This would be Pawel Pawlikowski’s return to theaters ever since his Oscar-nominated movie Cold War, which was considered one of the top films of 2018. Pawlikowski even won the Best Director award when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. FilmNation CEO Glen Basner calls the Polish filmmaker “one of the world’s greatest filmmakers working today” with the movie’s heavy themes of jealousy, betrayal, and murder enough for audiences to make a return back to theaters. With a star-studded cast and a drama-filled story, I’d have to agree with that.
While The Island looks like a movie that’s sure to bring in some buzz, it'd nonetheless be to set ee the ball grolling on Joker 2. What we know about Joker 2 so far is that the title has been revealed to be Joker: Folie À Deux, and it will actually be a musical. And we can’t have a new musical without Lady Gaga having a role in it, reportedly as Harley Quinn. Other people who've been added to the cast include Harry Potter star Brendan Gleeson, Get Out star Catherine Keener, and The Letter for the King’s Harry Lawtey. Not only is Joaquin Phoenix set to return but so is the director of the original Joker, Todd Philips. Considering he was nominated for Best Director at the 92nd Academy Awards, maybe he can help bring more of his Oscar magic to the anticipated sequel.
Before we can expect to see Joaquin Phoenix in Joker 2 and The Island, there are other movies that the Oscar winner will star in. He’ll be teaming up with Midsommar’s director Ari Aster for Disappointment Blvd. about “one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time,” as well as reteaming with Ridley Scott to play the title role in the historical drama Napoleon. Rooney Mara’s upcoming Toronto Film Festival premiere film Women Talking is expected to engage a dialogue among moviegoers. It looks like these two actors have plenty of movies we hope will give them award recognition.
While we’re still waiting to hear when Joker 2 will start shooting, we always have Joaquin Phoenix’s follow-up The Island to add to our watchlist. At least we know that Joker 2 will make its way into theaters on October 4th, 2024.
