‘Joker’ Sequel to be a Musical, Lady Gaga in Talks to Play Harley Quinn
No, we did not just slap a bunch of random words together into a headline. You read that correctly. Lady Gaga is in talks to play Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to the controversial billion-dollar hit, which will somehow also be a musical.
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed some fairly recent rumors about the upcoming Joker sequel, as word is that they are close to enlisting A Star is Born actress Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, or at least this setting’s iteration of her. (Given that this is an Elseworlds story, Margot Robbie likely still has job security as Harley Quinn in the DC Extended Universe; WB have her set to star in their Barbie adaptation, and James Gunn seems to have a blank check to do spin-offs with the Suicide Squad-adjacent characters.) Joaquin Phoenix, writer-director Todd Phillips, and co-writer Scott Silver will be returning from the first film, with Phoenix likely dusting off his singing pipes that he put to use in Walk the Line back in 2005. Phillips incidentally helped produce A Star is Born, so this would not be his first time working with Lady Gaga, either.
The original Joker was made as a gritty pastiche of 1970s films with a Batman coat of paint, with the most obvious influences being Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, with other clear homages to other movies of the era like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Network, and The French Connection appearing throughout. A lot of pre-release conversation expressed worry that the film would inspire real-world violence, but the film instead managed to be the only R-rated movie to make over a billion dollars and win two deserved Academy Awards – one for Joaquin Phoenix as Best Actor in a Leading Role, and one for Hildur Guðnadóttir for composing the Best Original Score. With news that the sequel will be a musical, it remains to be seen what kind of tone the new film will have, but it certainly seems like a departure from the original film.
Joker: Folie à Deux is in development at DC Films. The movie will be written and directed by Todd Phillips, co-written by Scott Silver, and will star Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
