Lady Gaga's Creepy Joker: Folie à Deux Tease Pretty Much Confirms What We All Suspected

The 2019 film "Joker" is an uneasy journey through the fractured mind of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix). Each moment of the film shows the utter desperation and rapid degradation of Fleck as he is physically assaulted in the early stages of the movie, and it just gets so much worse from there. Cut from contact with his social worker, ostracized by his colleagues, and lied to by his mother, Fleck begins to lash out at what he considers an unfair world. By the end of the film, Fleck's internal conflict spirals into a city-wide frenzy against the rich and powerful.

Filled with depressed laughs, choreographed dance sequences, and hallucinated moments, it is hard to pin down exactly which scenes in "Joker" are real, but that is part of its allure — the unreliable narrator. According to The Numbers, "Joker" managed to earn over $1 billion at the box office, which is pretty impressive considering the dark subject matter. With that in mind, it was all but assured that "Joker" would earn itself a sequel, something director Todd Phillips confirmed with an update that also revealed the upcoming film's title: "Joker: Folie à Deux." 

Less than a week later, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Lady Gaga was in talks to join the musical film in the role of Harley Quinn. Since that time, we haven't heard much on this front, until the latest update from Mother Monster herself.

The latest update from Lady Gaga would appear to provide confirmation that she will soon be lending her talents to "Joker: Folie à Deux." Even more, Gaga's post also gives a major hint at the character she will be portraying. In a post to her Twitter account, Gaga revealed the planned release date for the upcoming film along with a brief 18-second clip cast in shades of red and black. 

The teaser, which features two silhouetted characters dancing to Fred Astaire's "Cheek to Cheek," identifies Joaquin Phoenix and Gaga as the lead stars in the film. Eagle-eyed viewers might also note that the clip illuminates small, unmistakable features on each character's face. On Phoenix's Joker, we see makeup directly above and below his eyes. On Gaga, we see a small heart-shaped tattoo directly below her left eye. This is a cornerstone of the Harley Quinn character. 

Of course, the musical aspect of the film means that Gaga will also be able to show off her impressive vocal abilities as well. Although the title of the film previously led fans to speculate that Gaga would take on the role of Haley Quinn, this is the first official confirmation of her specific involvement in the project. According to the National Library of Medicine, the term "Folie à Deux" is actually a medical term that means "an identical or similar mental disorder affecting two or more individuals, usually the members of a close family." 

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.