The Joker was certainly no stranger to the film realm prior to 2019, but that year saw Batman’s arch-nemesis score the cinematic spotlight for himself. Joker starred Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, whose descent into madness and embracing of nihilism saw him becoming a different kind of Clown Prince of Crime without the involvement of the Caped Crusader. Four years after Joker’s release, director and co-writer Todd Phillips commemorated the anniversary by sharing a new look at Phoenix in the upcoming DC movie Joker 2, a.k.a. Joker: Folie à Deux.
With Joker being Phillips’ most commercially successful movie (it was the first R-rated movie to cross $1 billion) and earning numerous accolades, including Phoenix netting the Academy Award for Best Actor, it’s only fitting that the filmmaker carved out some space on his Instagram to highlight its 4th anniversary, and including a fresh photo from Joker 2 is a welcome bonus. See for yourself:
Todd Phillips confirmed that Joker 2 was officially in development back in June 2022, and over a year later, much of what the sequel holds in store remains shrouded in mystery. While this picture doesn’t clear up anything in the way of concrete plot information, it’s certainly a striking image in the way that those multicolored umbrellas stand out amongst the drab greys of the clothing and background. It looks like we’re seeing Arthur being guided somewhere on the Arkham State Hospital premises by four guards.
When we left off with Arthur Fleck at the end of Joker, he’d been arrested for murdering talk show host Murray Franklin on live TV, which resulted in riots erupting across Gotham City fueled by people who embraced Arthur’s chaotic view of life. Although he was briefly freed after some rioters crashed into the police car carrying him, he was ultimately incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital, though it didn’t take long for him to start causing blood-soaked trouble within the institution.
So what can we expect from Joker 2? Again, specific plot details are being kept under wraps, but there are two big things that will make it stand out from its predecessor. First, Lady Gaga is starring as Harleen Quinzel, the Arkham psychiatrist who falls in love with Joker and becomes Harley Quinn, his partner-in-crime. Second, Joker 2 will be a musical, which is one of the reasons why the sequel’s budget is so much bigger than Joker’s. Phoenix and Gaga are joined in the Joker 2 cast by Zazie Beetz reprising Sophie Dumond, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland and Harry Lawtey. As with the first movie, Phillips both directed and co-wrote the script with Scott Silver.
While today marks Joker’s 4th anniversary, tomorrow, October 4, will mean there’s only one year to go until Joker 2 arrives as one of the 2024 movie releases. While we wait for more updates on the sequel’s progress, feel free to stream Joker with a Max subscription.
