Why Joker: Folie à Deux Will Blow You Away

Thanks to "Deadpool," the prospect of an R-rated comic book film making a lot of money was no longer outside the realm of possibility. However, while "Deadpool" had meta humor going for it, there was still the question of whether audiences would be invested in an origin story for the Joker — the long-time foe of Batman — in a completely serious film that also analyzed economic instability and mental illness. The answer proved to be a resounding "yes," as 2019's "Joker" not only made $1 billion at the global box office but also won several Academy Awards, including best actor for Joaquin Phoenix's embodiment of the clown prince of crime. 

"Joker" existing as a standalone tale would have been perfectly fine, but Phoenix and director Todd Phillips have returned for a follow-up installment titled "Joker: Folie à Deux." That title refers to the phrase "madness of two" and relates to multiple individuals partaking in a shared delusion. It's a fitting term, considering the sequel sees the introduction of Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn to aid and abet her beloved Arthur Fleck, aka Joker.

The first movie set the bar awfully high, both in terms of critical and financial acclaim. Is the world ready for more "Joker," five years after the original and following a pandemic and civil unrest? Fortunately, there are plenty of reasons why "Joker: Folie à Deux" is almost certain to be a box office juggernaut. 

Joaquin Phoenix is truly a singular force among modern-day actors. He's incredibly selective with his projects, only appearing in a handful of movies, like "Napoleon" and "Beau is Afraid," in the years since "Joker" came out. It's not very often we get to see Phoenix grace the screen, so it's safe to assume his performance in "Joker: Folie à Deux" will be worthy of the Oscar he won for the first "Joker."

Could Phoenix receive another nomination (and possible win) for the sequel? It wouldn't be out of the question. Sylvester Stallone has been nominated twice for playing Rocky Balboa, first for best actor in 1976's "Rocky" and then for best supporting actor in 2015's "Creed." Al Pacino also exists in this category, receiving Oscar nominations for his role as Michael Corleone in both "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II." Phoenix getting another nomination, even if he doesn't win again, would put him in some elite company. 

Regardless of what happens come awards season, audiences should appreciate another Joaquin Phoenix performance while they can. The actor recently drew outrage for dropping out of director Todd Haynes' upcoming movie just a few days before it was scheduled to begin production. It remains to be seen what kind of long-term effect Phoenix's pulling out has on his career, but it could make future filmmakers wary of working with the actor. If "Joker: Folie à Deux" is a smash hit, which it likely will be, he could still be a hot commodity. 

Any good comic book movie sequel has to up the ante, even if it's a serious drama. For a follow-up to "Joker," bringing Harley Quinn into the mix seems like a no-brainer, especially by casting Lady Gaga. She's primarily known as a singer and has even won an Oscar herself for best original song for "A Star is Born." However, she's proven herself adept at acting as well, also receiving a best actress nomination for "A Star is Born" (although she didn't win).

There have been numerous versions of Harley Quinn over the years ever since she was first brought to life on "Batman: The Animated Series." In terms of live-action, most people probably correlate the character with Margot Robbie, who brought a comedic and frenetic energy to the role in movies like "The Suicide Squad" and "Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)." From what we've seen in the trailers, Lady Gaga's interpretation should be a far cry from Robbie's, which makes the movie as a whole all the more enticing. 

Todd Phillips has spoken about how Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn is darker than most people probably imagine, with this iteration drawing inspiration from Charles Manson and his followers. The great thing about these characters is that there are numerous ways to bring them to life, and Lady Gaga should be more than capable of going toe-to-toe with Joaquin Phoenix in portraying darker versions of these villains. 

It's one thing for a sequel to add new characters; it's another thing entirely for it to change genres. "Joker" largely functioned as a grounded drama, but the rumors you've heard about "Joker: Folie à Deux" are true: The sequel's going to be a musical, which is why Lady Gaga's casting makes even more sense. More specifically, "Joker 2" will be a jukebox musical, with 15 already-existing songs reportedly included in the movie (with the possibility of an original song or two entering the mix also on the table). 

It's understandable if some are skeptical of "Joker: Folie à Deux" for taking such a big swing. However, it's easy to forget that the first "Joker" was a huge risk itself. It took a well-known villain who's already seen numerous interpretations and basically inserted him into "Taxi Driver." It functioned as a way to do something new with the source material beyond the typical superhero blockbusters. "Joker 2" is now doing the same thing by infusing those "Taxi Driver" sensibilities with full-blown musical numbers, harkening back to yet another era of Hollywood that far too many are willing to overlook. 

Musicals are making a comeback in a way, with "Wonka" becoming one of 2023's surprise hits, while "Wicked" comes out later this year. "Joker: Folie à Deux" may get people who wouldn't normally see a musical to sit down and actually watch one. And that could get them interested in seeking out others, which would be a fantastic outcome for all of this. 

2019's "Joker" may have foregone traditional comic book movie sensibilities, but it still had ample Easter eggs for DC fans to pick up on. The film has references to everything from "Batman: The Animated Series" to "The Killing Joke," along with Arthur Fleck coming face-to-face with a young Bruce Wayne (Dante Pereira-Olson). One would imagine "Joker: Folie à Deux" will have plenty of these too, and it could go even further in fleshing out this particular Gotham City. 

A new "Joker 2" trailer hid a secret Batman villain in plain sight because if you watched the teaser with subtitles, you'd learn that a person heard speaking (but not seen) is actually Harvey Dent. His inclusion makes sense given his career path as a district attorney, and it looks like Arthur Fleck's going on trial in this film. Whether Dent becomes the villainous Two-Face in the film remains to be seen, but this shows that the sequel is willing to bring in other Batman characters. 

Some would be natural fits, such as James Gordon entering the story as disillusioned Gothamites continue to clash with the Gotham Police Department. Hugo Strange, an evil Arkham psychiatrist, could also fit into the plot, with Arthur and Harleen being locked up for a period of time. This is wishful thinking, but it could be an opportunity to showcase new takes on these well-known characters.

Looking at the biggest box office bombs of 2023, it's a bit concerning that DC movies appear multiple times on the list. DC released four superhero films last year: "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," "The Flash," "Blue Beetle," and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." All four either underperformed or outright flopped financially, putting the state of DC's film slate in dire straits. 

There are many possible reasons why these movies failed to make an impact, whether one wants to blame superhero fatigue or the announcement that James Gunn and Peter Safran were rebooting the entire DC film universe. The latter could have made audiences feel like these movies didn't really matter in the long run, but either way, DC needed to take a breather. "Joker: Folie à Deux" is the only live-action DC movie coming out in 2024, before DC Studios kickstarts things again with Gunn's "Superman" debuting in 2025. 

Having only one movie this year, let alone one that's a sequel to a billion-dollar hit, might be the right move for DC. It makes it feel more like an event rather than a homework assignment for a test that'll no longer come. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is doing something similar. "Deadpool and Wolverine" is the only MCU flick this year, and that's already blown everyone away at the box office. "Joker 2" can function as a reprieve, and will hopefully get people excited for more DC movies in the near future. 

One of the best components of 2019's "Joker" was the haunting score, composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir, who won an Academy Award for her work on the film. She's returning for the sequel, and the fact that Todd Phillips has assembled many of the same people who worked on the first film is exciting enough on its own. But "Joker: Folie à Deux" also being a musical means Guðnadóttir will likely get an even greater chance to shine. 

The music for "Joker" was an integral component of the film, often guiding what happened in each respective scene. As Guðnadóttir told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023, "I wrote most of that music beforehand. So they shot the film to the score, and the music would lead a lot of the scenes that we see in the film. The bathroom dance scene, for example, is really Joaquin [Phoenix] following the music." One could surmise a similar process would follow for "Joker 2," especially with the music — this time in the form of 15 songs as well as a conventional score — being far more front and center. 

The songs themselves reportedly won't be simple karaoke versions. Variety spoke with a source close to the sequel who said that Guðnadóttir will "infuse her distinctive, haunting [music] cues" into the tunes. It sounds like a unique challenge but one that Guðnadóttir should excel at. 

When "Joker" came out in 2019, there was genuine fear that it could inspire real-world violence. Those fears proved to be unfounded, but they weren't unreasonable: "Joker" focuses on Arthur Fleck, a man with mental illness who's been pushed to the lower rung of society and turns to violence to regain some semblance of control. Just as Joker gains a following in the movie, there are likely plenty of people in real life who feel as though the world has turned its back on them as well. 

It's unlikely "Joker: Folie à Deux" will generate the same level of concern about violence, but it is coming out at an interesting time. A lot has changed in the world since 2019, from the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to the loss of women's reproductive rights to divisions over the Israel-Gaza conflict in the Middle East. The "Joker" sequel could make numerous people feel seen because they, too, feel as though they live in a society that doesn't care about them. 

The title hints at how the sequel will build on what the original film set up. The "shared madness" may be more widespread than just what's going on between Arthur and Harleen. Gotham itself could descend into a similar psychosis, with many people developing the shared belief that the only way to make the city better is through violence. These are intriguing ideas that could potentially make "Joker: Folie à Deux" one of the most thought-provoking films of 2024. 

Also returning for "Joker: Folie à Deux" is cinematographer Lawrence Sher. He received an Academy Award nomination for his work on the first "Joker" but lost out to Roger Deakins for "1917." The sequel could be his shot to win the award, even if he has stiff competition from the likes of Greig Fraser for "Dune: Part Two." However, his involvement in the sequel is enough to get fans excited already. 

Many fans on X (formerly known as Twitter), have praised what they've seen from the movie so far based on the trailers. X user @zhouxuns wrote, "Lawrence sher's cinematography for joker 2 already surpassing his incredible cinematography for joker 1 god i cannot wait to see this in theaters." They're not alone in that assessment, and Sher's cinematography will have a unique influence on the sequel.

Sher told YouTuber Matti Haapoja that Francis Ford Coppola's musical "One From the Heart" was an inspiration for the look of the "Joker" follow-up: "Whether those images ended up really influencing the new one ... they became a conversation starter for me and Mark Friedberg the production designer and Todd [Phillips] as we scouted in those early days," he explained. Since "Joker: Folie à Deux" will have musical components, it makes sense to draw from musicals of the past, even one that was overlooked in its time like "One From the Heart." With both "Joker 2" and Coppola's new film "Megalopolis" coming out so close together, it may inspire more people to check it out.

Infusing a sequel to "Joker" with musical sensibilities isn't the only wild swing Todd Phillips is taking with his latest film. Phillips broke down numerous aspects of "Joker: Folie à Deux" in a recent interview with Variety, with arguably the most intriguing revelation being that the movie will open with a brief Looney Tunes-esque cartoon featuring the title villain. 

Phillips enlisted some serious talent to make the sequence a reality, bringing on French animator Sylvain Chomet, best known for his work on "Les Triplettes de Belleville." Short cartoons before movies used to be commonplace but have largely gone away. Pixar kept the trend going for a while, but the studio's most recent effort, "Inside Out 2," didn't include anything before the main attraction. There's a good reason why Phillips wanted a cartoon for his sequel: "The goal of this movie is to make it feel like it was made by crazy people," he said.

Between different mediums and a jukebox musical vibe, "Joker 2" is certainly taking things in an interesting direction. It's not simply going to be a follow-up that repeats what was done before, which is the case for many sequels, including another one Phillips directed — "The Hangover Part II." It's opting for something new, which may appeal to both fans and detractors of the original.

The ending of 2019's "Joker" calls into question what really happened, as it's unclear what's real and what's part of Arthur's delusion. But certain plot points did in fact happen, such as Arthur really killing someone live on-air. The sequel will take place two years after the original, with Arthur going to trial and potentially getting sentenced to death for his crimes.

With "Joker" having somewhat of an open ending, the question is how much of "Joker: Folie à Deux" is Arthur still having delusions, especially when it comes to this burgeoning relationship with Harleen Quinzel? Variety reveals another intriguing piece of information that could explain their dynamic: "He's drawn to romantic ballads; she prefers music about power." It's possible Arthur is so deluded in his relationship with Harleen that he fails to see that she's using him for some grander machination, but that's speculation for the time being.

With Arthur's life on the line, it's possible "Joker 2" could have a straightforward finale where he dies, but the movement he inspired continues to grow. Or perhaps people only think he dies, but he's still around in some form. The ending of "Joker: Folie à Deux" will likely get people talking no matter what happens.

It feels like the idea of "superhero fatigue" has been around for at least a decade at this point. Audiences and critics have long asserted the comic book movie bubble would pop at any second, but 2023 was really the first time the cracks started to show, with every DC movie as well as Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" and "The Marvels" falling below expectations. Superhero movies are unlikely to go away any time soon, but to survive, they need to evolve, and 2024 as a whole is showing how that can be possible. 

General audiences may simply be tired of seeing the same origin stories ad nauseam. They want something different, which is what the R-rated "Deadpool and Wolverine" gave them, offering a different type of superhero multiverse story while bidding farewell to the 20th Century Fox era of superhero cinema. "Joker: Folie à Deux" could easily reach the same heights since it's not just another Batman movie, but a comic book adaptation with musical influences and a darker version of Harley Quinn. All that could get people to actually show up to the cinema instead of merely waiting to watch it on streaming.

Not every comic book movie needs to be rated R, but they do need to do things differently. "Joker 2" represents how the path less traveled can be fruitful, and people may turn out in droves to see it just because they're hungry for something unique in the modern entertainment landscape.