The first trailer for Todd Phillips' Joker: Folie à Deux was released online tonight after debuting at CinemaCon, giving us a look at some official footage from the DC "Elseworlds" sequel.
The teaser spotlights the return of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), who is still being held in Arkham Asylum following the events of the first film. There, he meets a fellow inmate (it seems this take on Harleen Quinzel will not be a doctor) played by Lady Gaga, who becomes infatuated with the "Joker" and convinces him to escape.
"We cast Gaga because she's magic. I was a producer on A Star Is Born," Phillips said of casting the pop megastar. "That was the first time I really met her and got to watch her work. As we were writing this script, Scott [Silver], who I wrote it with, kept going back to her."
Check out the trailer below along with the earlier teaser, which features brand-new footage.
While some fans are a little resistant to the idea of a follow-up to Phillips' dark psychological thriller being a musical, others have embraced the concept. We're still not sure exactly how these songs will be implemented into the story, but rumor has it that the narrative will be split between Harley and Fleck's skewed perspectives, so there's a chance the musical numbers will simply be part of the characters' delusions (Fleck imagined his entire relationship with Sofie Dummond in the first film, after all).
Whatever form the songs take, we have heard that the soundtrack will be "heavily inspired" by classic Liza Minnelli musicals such as Cabaret, New York, New York, and That's Entertainment. This isn't really too surprising, since Lady Gaga is a big Minelli fan.
In addition to Phoenix and Gaga, Joker 2 will see the return of Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond, along with new cast members Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland and Harry Lawtey in undisclosed roles.
The sequel won't take place in the same world as the main DCU, and will be known as an "Elseworlds" project, along with Matt Reeves' The Batman movies, J.J. Abrams' Superman film, and Constantine 2 (if they happen).
Joker: Folie à Deux is set to hit theaters on October 4, 2024. It's been rated R for, “some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality, and brief full nudity.”