While shared universes have become commonplace, certain movies within the comic book genre stand on their own. Todd Phillips' Joker (which is streaming with a Max subscription) is one of them, and its sequel is the next highly anticipated upcoming DC movie heading to theaters. The movie will contain singing, and Joaquin Phoenix recently spoke about encouraging Lady Gaga to "sing poorly" in the flick.
What we know about Joker: Folie à Deux is limited, but fans are definitely intrigued by the use of musical numbers in the movie. Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are leading the Joker 2 cast, and will seemingly get a few duets throughout its runtime. The pair recently spoke to Vogue, where Oscar-winning Phoenix confirmed that he tries to get the pop star/actress to sing bad. As he put it:
I encouraged her to sing poorly. I remember asking her to sing without her vibrato. She has a beautiful vibrato — too beautiful. I think she felt naked without it. But as soon as she moved away from technique she unlocked her character's voice.
Points were made. While Lady Gaga has a stunning singing voice, it wouldn't really make sense for her character Harleen Quinzel to be so gifted in the grimy halls of Arkham Asylum. So instead she had to change her technique, including not using her signature vibrato.
Not one to be left out of the conversation, Lady Gaga weighed in on the way she changed her ionic singing voice for Folie à Deux's musical numbers. As she put it:
I worked really hard on that, kind of trying to undo all my technique. I mean, Ally Maine in A Star Is Born is a singer and it's a movie about people who make music. That is not what this film is about at all.
Since it was revealed that singing will be part of the sequel, there's been discourse about whether or not the Joker 2 was a musical. Both Todd Phillips and Lady Gaga claim it is not, although the way that music is used sounds like a textbook musical. So it should be fascinating to see how it all shakes out once the movie hits theaters in October.
The trailers for Joker: Folie à Deux have already shown some of the songs that are going to be used throughout the sequel's runtime. We hear snippets of classics like "For Once In My Life", "What the World Needs Now Is Love", and "When You're Smiling." Since we've only been given limited footage of the movie, smart money says that's just the tip of the iceberg.
All will be revealed when Joker: Folie à Deux will arrive in theaters on October 4th. Check out the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the movies in the new year.
