Following her turn as Ally Maine in A Star is Born and playing Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci, Lady Gaga is stepping into the realm of comic book movie adaptations. Last August, Gaga confirmed she is starring opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Joker 2, officially titled Joker: Folie à Deux, and two months after the first look at Phoenix in the sequel came out, we finally have our first glimpse at the Academy Award-nominated actress in this upcoming DC movie.
Lady Gaga’s casting in Joker 2 was first reported in June 2022, just a few weeks after director Todd Phillips announced that the sequel was finally moving forward. Phillips has now taken to his Instagram page to share a photo of Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix up close and personal with one another in Joker 2.
Although not officially confirmed, Lady Gaga is believed to be putting in the “work” as Dr. Harleen Quinzel in Joker 2, with the movie depicting her love story with the Arthur Fleck version of the Clown Prince of Crime. Remember that the ending of Joker saw Arthur being incarcerated at the Arkham State Hospital after he murdered talk show host Murray Franklin on live TV. Like the original version of Harleen, Gaga’s version would be a psychiatrist at Arkham who falls in love with Joker, eventually resulting in her becoming his partner-in-crime and taking the moniker Harley Quinn.
Specific plot details for Joker 2 are being kept a tightly-guarded secret, but one big way the sequel will stand out from its predecessor besides reportedly featuring Harley Quinn is by being a musical. Looking at the above image, it’s hard to say if this moment is in the middle of these two singing their hearts out or if they’ve been interacting normally, but the lipstick smeared above Gaga’s mouth indicates that these two have have been passionately smooching. That does indeed make it an appropriate picture to be sharing with the public on Valentine’s Day.
Because Joker 2’s not coming to theaters until October 4, 2024, it’ll be a long time until we get the first footage of Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in the movie together, but this makes for a nice appetizer. Just like with the first Joker, along with directing, Todd Phillips wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver. Joker 2’s cast also includes Zazie Beetz reprising Sophie Dumont, as well as Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland and Harry Lawtey in undisclosed roles. Like Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise, the Joker movies are DC Elseworlds properties, i.e. aren’t connected to the DC Universe franchise that cinematically begins in 2025 with Superman: Legacy.
Keep visiting CinemaBlend for more updates on how Joker 2 is progressing, and feel free to stream the first Joker movie with your HBO Max subscription.
