Following Joker director, Todd Phillips confirming on Instagram he is officially working on Joker 2, a follow-up to the 2019 $1 billion DC hit, we’ve gotten a few more details on the film—most notably that Lady Gaga is reportedly in early talks to join the sequel as Harley Quinn, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The publication claims this incarnation of the character in Joker 2 is currently “being kept under wraps” but will be much different compared to DC’s current portrayals of the character with Margot Robbie in the live-action movies and Kaley Cuoco in the R-rated animated show. This is in line with the original movie as the original Joker cast Joaquin Phoenix in a film universe that’s pretty separate from DC’s other movies, not even one Batman to be seen.
If cast this wouldn’t be the first time Lady Gaga and Phillips would be attached to the same project. The director served as a producer on 2018’s A Star is Born, starring Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
As for Joker 2, which will also see the return of co-writer Scott Silver, the film is set to be a musical according to The Hollywood Reporter’s sources, in keeping with the trend of Lady Gaga’s other big roles and playing into her award-winning success as a singer and songwriter.
Currently, the film is titled Joker: Folie à Deux, a reference to a medical term where an identical or similar mental disorder affects two or more people. Before the Lady Gaga news, it was thought it could be a reference to Batman as both characters are very linked in other continuities, and neither are mentally healthy individuals. Instead, the sequel could be going in the direction of another individual closely connected to the Clown Prince of Crime—his longtime crime partner, Harley Quinn.
With the film early in development, Warner Bros has not confirmed the news. It’s not even publicly confirmed if Phoenix himself has inked a deal for the sequel, despite Philips sharing a photo of the star reading the script on Instagram.
