The Clown Prince of Crime and Harley Quinn want to tell you that right now, what the world needs is love.
That’s what you’ll see in the first trailer for “trailer for ‘Joker 2’: Folie à Deux,” where Joaquin Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck (who later becomes Batman’s notorious foe), teaming up with Lady Gaga as the equally twisted Harley Quinn.
The dark and gritty scenes start at Arkham Asylum — where Joker is held at the end of the first film — as Arthur Fleck has a crazy encounter with another patient (yes, it’s Gaga’s Harley Quinn). After meeting in the prison halls, they fall deeply in love and plan to break out of their restraints to face the world outside. They end up in the streets of Gotham, dancing and spinning around the city in a frenzy.
“I’m nobody. I haven’t accomplished anything in my life like you,” Harley Quinn tells Joker as she pretends to shoot herself in the head.
In the first movie, Joker‘s story showed how he started as a stand-up comedian and clown who struggled with life. In the sequel, he travels around and performs on different stages with Harley Quinn as his inspiration, and she’s wearing his makeup. But in this new adventure, he doesn’t seem as lonely.
“You know what’s different now?” Joker asks in the trailer. “I’m not by myself anymore — that’s what we should focus on!”
trailer for ‘Joker 2’ shows Lady
The trailer shows Harley at Arkham Asylum, where she draws a happy face with red lipstick on the glass partition between her and Joker. She tells him, “I want to see the real you.”
Director Todd Phillips presented the footage at CinemaCon, the yearly gathering for movie theater owners. Despite originally marketing the 2019 “Joker” as a standalone film, Phillips mentioned that he and Phoenix always discussed the possibility of a sequel.
“We had a strong attachment to Arthur’s character, but we didn’t want to risk the success of the first movie,” Phillips explained. “We chose Gaga because she possesses a special quality.”
We don’t know much about the sequel’s plot yet, but reports suggest it will be a jukebox musical. Phillips clarified that it won’t fit neatly into that category, but it will include lots of singing and dancing.
Phillips says, “I believe this movie relies heavily on music. It stays true to the first film. Arthur embodies music. He carries a certain elegance.”
Phillips expressed gratitude to the theater owners before showing the trailer. He thanked them for screening “Joker” despite concerns about its violent content.
He remarked, “Just before the release of the first ‘Joker,’ there was a shift in how people perceived the film. Strange warnings emerged. It’s impressive that the theater owners stood their ground and the movie turned out to be a huge hit. Their unwavering support played a major role in our success.”
Phillips hinted that “Joker” was a huge hit, making $1 billion worldwide and being the first R-rated film to do so. It got 11 Oscar nominations, including best picture.
“Joker 2” will come out on Oct. 4, 2024, exactly five years after the first one. The original cost $62.5 million to make, which is low for a comic book movie. Because it made so much money, the sequel will have a budget of $200 million.
Warner Bros. showed footage of “Joker” to movie theater owners. They also announced movies like “Beetlejuice 2,” “Horizon: An American Saga,” and the “Mad Max” prequel “Furiosa” for 2024.