First Look at Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in “Joker: Folie à Deux” Revealed
Before Valentine’s Day was over, Joker: Folie à Deux co-writer and director Todd Phillips made sure we were all reminded that romance is far from dead, even if it’s deadly. Phillips shared the first image of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in his upcoming sequel, pictured looking quite smitten with psychopath Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix).
“Happy Valentines Day,” Phillips wrote in the caption of his Instagram post. Gaga’s Harley Quinn is pictured up close and personal with Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, holding the sides of his face and looking deep into his eyes. She’s all vivid and in color, while he looks pale, wan, and almost shocked by the intensity of the moment.
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In 2019’s Joker, in which Phoenix won an Oscar for his performance, Arthur Fleck seemed to have a relationship with his neighbor, Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz), but it was revealed later (extremely belayed spoiler alert) that the entire thing was in his mind. It seems a safer bet that this romance with Harley Quinn in Folie à Deux — which translates into “shared madness” — will be a real one. The Joker and Harley Quinn are arguably the most iconic (and most demented) couple in comic book history, a darkling romance that’s been depicted on screen before in David Ayer’s 2016 film Suicide Squad.
The Quinn/Joker relationship will likely get a much different treatment in Folie à Deux considering Joker was a gritty, unflinching psychological profile of a man losing his mind, snapping, and inadvertently becoming a murderous icon for a Gotham buckling under corruption, crime, and widespread misery. Once Arthur Fleck embraces the Joker persona, his folk hero status is assured, despite (or perhaps, because of) the blood on his hands. Considering Folie à Deux is the medical term for two or more people suffering from the same or similar mental disorder, it’s easy to see how Harley Quinn and the Joker will be enthralled by each other and their coextensive shared madness.
Phillips directs the sequel off a script he co-wrote with his original Joker collaborator Scott Silver. Production is underway in New York and Los Angeles, with a release date slated for October 4, 2024.
For more on Joker: Folie à Deux, check out these stories:
First “Joker 2” Image Reveals Return of Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck
Will Barry Keoghan Return as Joker in “The Batman 2”?
Brendan Gleeson on Why He Joined “Joker 2”
Lady Gaga Releases “Joker 2” Teaser Hyping Upcoming Musical Mayhem
Featured image: R-l: Caption: JOAQUIN PHOENIX as Arthur Fleck in Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and BRON Creative’s “JOKER,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise; LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 03: Lady Gaga performs onstage during the 64th annual GRAMMY awards on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy).
