Five years on from the release of the Oscar-winning Joker, a sequel is finally here. And this time around, the Batman franchise’s most notorious villain will be singing his way around Gotham with Lady Gaga by his side.
The long-awaited follow-up to Todd Phillips’ 2019 film, Joker: Folie à Deux, sees Academy Award-winner Joaquin Phoenix return as Arthur Fleck while Gaga stars as psychiatrist Dr Harleen Quinzel – best known as Harley Quinn.
The movie premiered at Venice Film Festival last month and will be released in cinemas on Friday (October 4).
Here’s our guide to the film.
What is the premise and plot of Joker 2?
Joker was not intended to have a follow-up. The dark thriller showed Arthur Fleck, an aspiring comedian and clown with a mental illness, becoming increasingly unhinged after he loses access to his medication and his life falls apart. He turns to crime and learns to enjoy his new status within a criminal underworld.
After the first film’s success, Phillips set about work on a second act, having been given the green light from production company Warner Bros. It is part of the comic book series DC Black – a darker sequence that does not run in the same universe as the 2022 film The Batman, where the Joker had a bit part at the end.
Folie à Deux refers to a delusion or mental illness shared by two people in close association and could refer to new character Harley Quinn, a psychiatrist who falls in love with Arthur.
However, the film takes a decidedly different stylistic direction to its predecessor – it’s a Moulin Rouge-esque jukebox musical.
According to a teaser for Joker: Folie à Deux, a significant chunk of the movie will take place in Arkham, continuing from the conclusion of the first film.
While incarcerated, Phoenix’s Fleck encounters Harley Quinn. However, in a noticeable change to their comic origin tale, Quinn is a patient in the facility rather than the Joker's therapist.
What have critics said?
Folie à Deux managed to generate Oscars buzz long before its premiere but it’s fair to say critics didn’t quite buy in to the hype. In a review for the Evening Standard, Jo-Ann Titmarsh declared the sequel “depressingly dull and plodding”.
She wrote: “When Harley breaks into That’s Entertainment for the gazillionth time, our hero says, ‘Please stop…Please stop singing.’ If only he had asked sooner, around the hour mark, this film might have had time to do something and go somewhere.”
Other critics largely agreed and as a result, the film has an unimpressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 59 per cent.
Is the Joker sequel an all-out musical extravaganza?
Back in April, Variety reported the movie would take a jukebox approach, which essentially means featuring cover versions (think Moulin Rouge or Mamma Mia!). Folie à Deux would include 15 covers of popular hits, possibly with a few original tunes thrown in, the publication reported.
However, Phillips insisted the sequel would not technically be a musical, instead calling it a “film where music is an essential element”, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Lady Gaga later backed him up, saying, “The way we approach music in this film is very special and extremely nuanced”.
“I wouldn't necessarily say that this is a musical, she added. “In a lot of ways, it's very different.”
That said, the first trailer for Folie à Deux showcased musical numbers and, confusing things further, Gaga is releasing an album to accompany the film. The album features tracks covered in the movie, including Get Happy, That's Entertainment, and That's Life.
Thankfully, critics have been able to shed some light on what we can expect – though, if you were planning to take Phillips and Gaga at their word, you might be left feeling a little let down.
As our reviewer noted, after one pivotal moment, “the film becomes ‘Joker, the Musical!’. No emotion or thought can be expressed other than through the medium of song”.
Who stars in Joker 2 and who has directed it?
Phoenix, 48, is back as the Joker, having agreed to a reported $20m (£16.6m). Of the chance to work on a sequel, the Walk the Line and Inherent Vice actor said: “I can’t stop thinking about it... if there’s something else we can do with Joker, that might be interesting.”
Harley Quinn is played by Lady Gaga – the singer previously seen on the big screen for her turn in the House of Gucci. In a different universe, Margot Robbie played the role in 2016 Batman spin-off Suicide Squad and the 2020 sequel Birds of Prey, as well as 2021 offering the Suicide Squad.
Phillips has again directed, with Bradley Cooper as producer, while Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir provides the score.
Other actors attached include Zazie Beetz, reprising her role as Sophie Dumond, while Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and English actor Harry Lawtey also feature.
When will Joker 2 be released in cinemas and will it be streamed?
Folie à Deux will be in cinemas from this Friday, October 4.
It has not yet been announced when it will be available to watch on demand.
Where can I watch Joker?
Joker can be watched on Netflix or rented on other platforms.
