The Joker: Folie A Deux First Trailer Highlights Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn

Todd Phillips' "Joker" may seem just about as standalone as any superhero — well, supervillain — movie can hope to be these days, but the sheer success of the film meant that it was just a matter of time before everyone involved jumped aboard the sequel train. Much like "Joker" took an unconventionally grounded "Taxi Driver" approach to the iconic supervillain's origin story, its upcoming follow-up is set to venture in places where few comic book movies have gone before. 

Instead of taking a straightforward approach and giving audiences a sequel in the same style as the original, Phillips is really changing things up. "Joker: Folie Á Deux" will not only be a jukebox musical featuring at least 15 cover songs in addition to a pair of originals, but it will significantly expand its take on the Joker mythos by introducing Arthur Fleck's (Joaquin Phoenix) titular supervillain to Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga.

From its title to its genre choice, "Joker: Folie Á Deux" is gunning for some serious originality points — and based on its new trailer, it looks like the sequel will succeed on this front. 

Folie á deux is a term used to describe when multiple closely associated individuals suffer from similar mental health disorders. It's also a perfectly fitting title for a movie that serves as Harley Quinn's origin story in the same way "Joker" served as Joaquin Phoenix's titular villain's. The trailer for "Joker: Folie Á Deux" sets the mood for the things to come, showing that the particular place Arthur Fleck and his newfound romantic interest will occupy in the movie is a moody and strange one, indeed. It also makes it clear why test audiences have reportedly fallen in love with Lady Gaga's version of the classic Batman villain.

"Joker: Folie á Deux" is slated to be released on October 4, 2024, which means that fans of Phoenix's take on the character still have to wait a while before they see him interact with Gaga's Harley Quinn. While it remains to be seen whether the sequel will be able to live up to the high standards set by "Joker," this trailer suggests that the highly anticipated film will at the very least be worth the wait.