Todd Phillips' Joker was a huge success upon its release, with some considering the grueling drama as one of the best superhero movies of all time (even if there's no actual hero). It's sequel is the next upcoming DC movie heading to theaters, and will pair the Oscar-winning actor with Lady Gaga's Harleen Quinzel. Gaga recently said she doesn't think Folie à Deux is a musical, but proceeded to describe it as a textbook musical.
What we know about Joker 2 is limited, but fans are eager for the story of the original movie (which is streaming with a Max subscription) to continue. The Joker: Folie à Deux trailers showed off the movie's musical numbers, so the public has been wondering exactly how much singing is in the forthcoming drama. While speaking at the Venice Film Festival (via Deadline's twitter), Mother Monster spoke about how and why the project uses musical numbers. In her words:
I think that the way we approach music in this film was very special and extremely nuanced. I wouldn't necessarily say that this is actually a musical. In a lot of ways it's very different. The music is used to really give the characters a way to express what they need to say because the scene and dialogue is just not enough.
With all due respect to Lady Gaga, that... sounds exactly like a musical. In pretty much every Broadway show or movie musical, characters usually begin singing because their emotions are so strong that dialogue is no longer enough. It remains to be seen how Joker 2 differs from the productions currently gracing the Great White Way, her description definitely makes it seem like it's using the rules of a traditional musical.
CinemaBlend's Joker 2 review took aim at its pacing, so it remains to be seen how the movie's songs help to buoy fan excitement. Lady Gaga's comments at Venice in many ways mirror Todd Phillip's take on the musical debate, where he insisted that the movie's songs are being treated as dialogue itself. As a reminder, you can check out the trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux below.
From this limited footage, it does look like Arthur Fleck and Harleen Quinzel have a common connection with music in Joker: Folie à Deux. They're shown singing to each other, seemingly in both reality and fantasy sequences. Since Joaquin Phoenix's title character has been established as an unreliable narrator, it feels like just about anything could happen.
Whether or not the cast and crew consider Joker 2 to be a musical, casting Lady Gaga in a role that's both dramatic and requires singing feels like a brilliant choice. What's more, it seems like she and Joaquin Phoenix really matched each other's energy on set.
All will be revealed when Joker: Folie à Deux hits theaters on October 4th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
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