It’s almost showtime for Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker and Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn.
After a 24-hour YouTube live feed, Warner Bros. dropped the full trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux on Tuesday, July 23. Per the new preview, the film’s story will revolve around Arthur Fleck’s (a.k.a. Joker’s) “trial of the century” as he faces consequences for his deadly actions from the first film.
Set to Frank Sinatra’s “When You’re Smiling,” Arthur’s fame catches the attention of Gaga’s Harleen Quinzel (a.k.a. Harley Quinn). “When I saw first Joker, when I saw you, for once in my life, I didn’t feel so alone anymore,” she states via voiceover.
The two meet at the infamous Arkham Asylum. In addition to causing chaos at the institution, Harley continues to prove she’s the Joker’s biggest supporter by staying by his side through his trial.
The trailer gives glimpses at the film’s many musical numbers, which seemingly take place in Arthur’s imagination as the story’s events play out.
“I got this sneaking suspicion that we’re not giving the people what they want,” he tells Harley during a reimagined version of the Live! With Murray Franklin late-night show, titled Joker & Harley. She replies, “It’s OK, baby. Let’s give the people what they want.”
What follows is a montage of high-energy clips, including Joker supporters cheering for Harley as she arrives at the trial, fights breaking out amongst Arkham Asylum patients and guards, Joker running away from police cars and Joker and Harley dancing on the steps of a courthouse.
The new trailer ends with an eerie clip of the film’s leading couple singing along to Judy Garland’s “Get Happy,” stating, “Sing Hallelujah / Come on, get happy / Get ready for the judgment day.”
Folie à Deux — a French term that translates to “madness for two” — takes place after the events of the 2019 film and catches up with Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) after he is locked up in Arkham Asylum for his role in the Gotham City uprising that led to the deaths of talk-show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) and Bruce Wayne’s parents.
In addition to Gaga and Phoenix in leading roles, the ensemble cast includes Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Zazie Beetz. The sequel, which was greenlit in June 2022 and hits theaters on October 4, was granted a budget of $200 million, tripling its 2019 predecessor’s budget of $60 million.
While Gaga has garnered a reputable acting resume over the years — she starred in the 2018 A Star Is Born remake opposite Bradley Cooper and season 5 of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story — Joker casting director Franchine Maisler revealed earlier this month that the “Just Dance” singer was not her first choice for the role of Quinn. Instead, the idea sprung from the mind of the film’s director, Todd Phillips.
“She’s so good in it, you guys. She’s going to blow your mind. I didn’t suggest Lady Gaga,” Maisler said during a panel at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic on July 5. “It wasn’t my idea. That was Todd Phillips, before me. But I will tell you, she’s really surprising — and really good. I saw it and I was really surprised. I mean, we all knew what she could do in A Star Is Born, but I thought, ‘Oh, well, that’s kind of in her wheelhouse.’ Something she could do and just be real. But this … man, she’s good.”
Maisler noted that while Phoenix “blows your mind” leading the film, Gaga’s ability to match the actor with her performance is equally impressive.
“That she could keep up with him, and be real — and not just wiped off the screen by what that role is and what the performance is — shows she’s good,” she gushed.
Gaga’s influence will be felt through more than just her acting. Folie à Deux will be a “jukebox musical,” according to Variety, and will have at least 15 “very well-known” tunes and even some original pieces of music. Insiders told the outlet that while details of who pens or sings the tracks are unknown, Hildur Guðnadóttir, the Oscar-winning composer of the first Joker, is said to “infuse her distinctive, haunting [music] cues” into each number.
Joker: Folie à Deux hit theaters on October 4.
