Joker 2 trailer introduces Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn to the madness

Almost five years after the release of joker, the Oscar-winning DC comic starring Joaquin Phoenix, the sequel is finally ready for the spotlight. The first trailer for Joker 2 debuted Tuesday at CinemaCon, the trade show for all things theatrical releases, and shows off Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, as well as some of the new music rumored for the film.

Joker 2officially named Joker: Folie à Deux, will feature some returning faces, such as Phoenix as the Joker, formerly known as Arthur Fleck, and Todd Phillips, who once again directs from his own script. In addition to Lady Gaga, the film also adds the likes of Catherine Keener (Out), Ken Leung (Old), and Brendan Gleeson (Banshees of Inisherin) to its cast.

On the CinemaCon stage, Phillips said it was meant to be made joker one-off, but that near the end of the first film’s production, he talked to Phoenix about a follow-up film “because it was so much fun and we liked the character of Arthur and Joker so much.” In the throes of the pandemic, the two revived the idea “and now here we are.”

Rumors are swirling about Gaga’s casting Joker: Folie à Deux was a full-fledged musical, but as trailers for recent films such as Wonka And Mean girls, the dance-filled trailer goes heavy on creepy whimsy without any trace of actual song and dance performance. Phillips may be holding back some cards, as is the marketing tradition for modern movie musicals, but at CinemaCon he addressed the rumors about how musical it would be.

“We’ve never talked about the movie (as a musical) like that,” he said. “I like to say that it is a film in which music is essential element. which to me isn’t that different from the first film. When I first described Arthur, I explained him as a strange lonely man, but he has music in him.

Joker: Folie à Deux will be released in theaters on October 4.