Comic book movies are everywhere, but a few stand out for not being within a shared universe. The upcoming DC movie Joker: Folie À Deux is in that category, as it'll pick up the narrative after Joker's ending. Anticipation for the flick is high, especially with Lady Gaga debuting as Harleen Quinzel. But the pop star recently revealed why her Harley Quinn won't be too much like either Lady Gaga or Harley Quinn. Let's break it all down.
What we know about Joker: Folie À Deux is limited, but the movie's marketing campaign has started kicking up ahead of its release in October. The full trailer for Joker 2 teased what Mother Monster was bringing to the project, including musical numbers. Gaga recently spoke to Empire about the way she changed her vocal technique for the flick, offering:
For me, there’s plenty of bum notes, actually, from Lee. I’m a trained singer, right? So even my breathing was different when I sang as Lee. When I breathe to sing on stage, I have this very controlled way to make sure that I’m on pitch and it’s sustained at the right rhythm and amount of time, but Lee would never know how to do any of that. So it’s like removing the technicality of the whole thing, removing my perceived art-form from it all and completely being inside of who she is.
Well, I'm intrigued. Lady Gaga is known for her stunning voice, both for her pop career as well as her breakout role in A Star Is Born. But she won't be using her signature vocal technique in Joker: Folie À Deux, mostly because Harleen isn't a singer herself. And just Joaquin Phoenix in the first film (which is streaming with a Max subscription) Mother Monster is putting character first.
Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix are leading the cast of Joker: Folie À Deux, and they're both known for fully committing to their roles. In the same interview with Empire, director Todd Phillips spoke about how the House of Gucci star found her own take on Harley Quinn, rather than trying to emulate an established version of her. In his words:
While there are some things that people would find familiar in her, it’s really Gaga’s own interpretation, and Scott [Silver, co-writer] and I’s interpretation. She became the way how [Charles] Manson had girls that idolized him. The way that sometimes these [imprisoned murderers] have people that look up to them. There are things about Harley in the movie that were taken from the comic books, but we took it and molded it to the way we wanted it to be.
This makes a great deal of sense. The first Joker movie put a new spin on the title character's backstory, introducing Arthur Fleck and his laugh-inducing neurological disorder to moviegoing audiences. It also put a new spin on Bruce Wayne's parents dying, so clearly Phillips and company are crafting a story unique to the source material.
All will be revealed when Joker: Folie À Deux hits theaters on October 4th. In the meantime, check the 2025 movie release dates.
