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- Joker 2 release date: When is Joker Folie A Deux out in cinemas?
- Joker 2 trailer: Watch the first trailer for Joker Folie A Deux here!
- Joker 2 cast: Who's joining Joaquin Phoenix in Joker Folie A Deux?
- Joker 2 title: What does Joker Folie A Deux mean?
- Joker 2 plot: What will Joker Folie A Deux be about?
Joker 2 is coming to cinemas in October and we finally have the first trailer to savour for the highly-anticipated sequel.
The trailer debuted on April 9 and while we're still no clearer as to the actual plot of the sequel, it gave us a glimpse into the movie's fantastical music sequences and the central relationship between Arthur Fleck and Harley Quinn.
The Joker sequel, officially titled Joker: Folie à Deux, will see Joaquin Phoenix reprise his role as Arthur Fleck who, after the events of the first movie, might well just be Joker now. He'll have some A-list company too as Lady Gaga is making her DC debut as Harley Quinn.
Now that we've had the trailer, here's everything you need to know about Joker 2, aka Joker: Folie à Deux.
Joker 2 release date: When is Joker Folie A Deux out in cinemas?
Warner Bros has confirmed that Joker: Folie à Deux will be released in cinemas on October 4 – assuming there are no delays, of course.
The sequel started filming in December 2022, with Phillips marking the occasion by revealing the first look at Phoenix back in character, and it wrapped in April 2023 with Phillips sharing another look at Lady Gaga in the movie.
"Thanks to these two (+ the entire cast) and the BEST crew that the film industry has to offer. From top to bottom. Gonna crawl into a cave now (edit room) and put it all together," he wrote.
Joker 2 trailer: Watch the first trailer for Joker Folie A Deux here!
As mentioned above, the first trailer for Joker 2 was released on April 9, 2024 during Warner Bros' panel at CinemaCon in the US.
If you missed it above, check it out below:
Joker 2 cast: Who's joining Joaquin Phoenix in Joker Folie A Deux?
Joaquin Phoenix is, of course, back as Arthur Fleck, aka Joker, but let's wait and see if the sequel will win him another Oscar.
As mentioned, Lady Gaga has joined the sequel as Harley Quinn. She's the Worlds of DC's second Harley Quinn after Margot Robbie, but remember that Joker takes place in a timeline separate from other DC movies like Suicide Squad.
Robbie said of Lady Gaga's casting: "It's such an honour to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters that other actors get to have a go at playing, and I think she'll do something incredible with it."
On Valentine's Day 2023, we got our first official look at Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn. Then, set photos started to be released in March 2023.
Joining the cast are Industry's Harry Lawtey in a key but still unconfirmed role, as well as Get Out's Catherine Keener, Maze Runner's Jacob Lofland and Banshees of Inisherin star Brendan Gleeson in similarly undisclosed roles.
Zazie Beetz is set to return as Sophie, but it's not yet clear if Douglas Hodge and Dante Pereira-Olson will be back as Alfred Pennyworth and Bruce Wayne, respectively.
The first trailer also confirmed Steve Coogan has a role in the movie, likely Arthur Fleck's new therapist if their scene together in the trailer is to be believed.
Joker 2 title: What does Joker Folie A Deux mean?
Folie à Deux is the French phrase for a "madness of two", or shared psychosis. It refers to a "delusion or mental illness shared by two people in close association" and is also used commonly in English to describe this particular kind of mental illness.
From the title, we can predict that Arthur Fleck's fractured psyche will once again be explored on screen, though it may also mean that a second protagonist will come into play as a real second person with whom Joker shares his plans.
It's likely that if we're right, then it's Harley Quinn who will be sharing Arthur's delusion or mental illness in the sequel.
We have our feelings about how Joker dabbled – poorly – in mental-illness stereotypes and can only hope that the sequel does better.
Joker 2 plot: What will Joker Folie A Deux be about?
Even though we have the trailer, we're still waiting for an official synopsis for Joker 2 and the trailer doesn't shed much light on it.
However, we do know that the movie will be — in some way, at least — a musical. There are unconfirmed reports that the sequel features 15 musical numbers, including covers of pre-existing songs and some original songs.
"We never really talked about it like that, but I like to say it's a film where music is an essential element. To me, that doesn't veer too far from the first film," Phillips explained during the CinemaCon panel (via EW).
"Arthur's weird and aloof and all these things, but he has music in him. He has a grace to him. That informed a lot of the dancing in the first film... it didn't feel like that big of a step here. It's different, but I think it'll make sense when you see it."
The final scene of Joker saw Arthur locked up in Arkham State Hospital, presumably arrested after the riots that tore through Gotham City were dispersed by the police. The final shot of the movie is him dancing down the corridor of the hospital, leaving red footprints in his wake. (It's assumed that he's killed the doctor who was examining him.)
The other critical question for the Joker sequel is who the antagonist to Arthur will be. In the first movie, the foil for Joker was himself in many ways. His transition from vaguely normal member of civil society into full-on killer was the crux of the film.
But where do we go from here? What further development is there for Joker?
Set photos have suggested that Batman villain Harvey Dent will be playing a part in the sequel. However, it's unclear whether he'll actually appear in the movie or will just be an established part of the world.
All we really know for now is that we'll be seeing those stairs again.
Joker: Folie à Deux is out in cinemas on October 4.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
