Everything we know about Joker: Folie à Deux
Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck in the long-awaited DC sequel
Joaquin Phoenix is getting the last laugh in Joker: Folie à Deux — also known as Joker 2 — which will come to cinemas on 4 October. The Oscar winner is returning as Arthur Fleck, who takes on the mantle of the titular Clown Prince of Crime, with Lady Gaga starring opposite him as Harley Quinn.
Following in the bloody footsteps of 2019’s original, the sequel will once again be directed by Hangover filmmaker Todd Phillips and co-written by Phillips and Scott Silver.
Joker left us with more questions than answers, but with the first movie being pitched as a standalone that wasn’t connected to the worlds of DC, many thought the story ended here. It’s not the typical Batman movie you might expect, and with Joker bagging Phoenix an Academy Award for Best Actor, there are equally high hopes for Joker: Folie à Deux to perform.
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If you’re ready to put on a happy face, here’s everything we know about the Joker 2 release date, cast, plot, and more.
When will Joker: Folie à Deux be released?
Joker: Folie à Deux is due to hit UK and US cinemas on 4 October, exactly five years after the first film.
The film has already earned an R rating from the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in America. According to Deadline, the film is Rated R for “some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality, and brief full nudity.”
The first film also earned an R rating, which translates to a 15 rating in the UK.
What have critics said about Joker: Folie à Deux?
Following a divisive debut at the Venice Film Festival, full reviews for Joker: Folie à Deux have danced online, with many highlighting the mixed-bag nature of the DC spin-off sequel.
The Telegraph’s write-up called the movie suitably disturbing but criticised it for not going far enough. Meanwhile, the Evening Standard didn’t pull its punches, labelling the movie “depressingly dull and plodding.” The Independent highlighted its bleak tone but made a point of mentioning its references to other classic films, saying “Phillips takes a tour through at least a century of Hollywood.”
Variety would’ve liked to have seen Joker be a bit more Joker, saying “there’s no longer any danger to his presence. He’s not trying to kill someone, and he’s not leading a revolution. He’s just singing and (on occasion) dancing his way into his Joker daydream.”
Deadline on the other hand praised Phoenix’s performance, explaining “he tap dances, sings and sells this role like no other — if not topping his Oscar-winning turn in Joker, at least finding a way to take him in different, wholly surprising direction.”
Read more Joker: Folie à Deux reviews below:
The Telegraph: Joaquin Phoenix’s disturbing, twisted sequel doesn’t go Gaga enough (3-min read)
Evening Standard: Depressingly dull and plodding (4-min read)
The Independent: Just as bleak and daring as the original (3-min read)
Variety: Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga Star in a Cracked Jukebox Musical — but It Doesn’t Let Joker Be Joker Enough (9-min read)
Deadline: Joaquin Phoenix And Lady Gaga In Todd Phillips’ Brilliant Musical Return To A World Of Madness – Venice Film Festival (7-min read)
The Wrap: Joaquin Phoenix Is Daring, Pathetic in Todd Phillips’ Impressively Odd Sequel (6-min read)
IndieWire: Todd Phillips’ Musical Sequel Feels Like It’s Bad on Purpose (12-min read)
Is there a trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux?
The teaser trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux landed online in April. In the clip, set against the music What The World Needs Now by Jackie DeShannon, Phoenix is in the Joker’s signature make-up, and is seen taking the stage and performing in a nightclub.
The teaser sees Gaga and Phoenix run through the streets and dance elegantly against a moonlit sky, and ends with Quinn visiting the Joker in prison.
Watch it below:
The full trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux was released shortly before the sequel made its grand debut at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. It provides a deeper look at the movie's musical elements, something which was praised in some first reactions to the movie.
We also got a better look at Joker’s relationship to Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn. Watch it above.
Who is in the Joker: Folie à Deux cast?
Surprising no one, Joaquin Phoenix will once again be slathering on the grease paint as Arthur Fleck. 2019’s Joker included an all-star cast that saw the lead share the screen with the likes of Frances Conroy, Robert De Niro, and Zazie Beetz.
Beetz will reprise her role as Fleck’s neighbour Sophie Dumond. Newcomers to the cast will include Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan, In Bruges’ Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Harry Lawtey and Jacob Lofland.
Lady Gaga will bring queen of chaos Harley Quinn to life, marking her first film role since 2021’s House of Gucci.
Another cast member who has seemingly confirmed he will return 2 is Justin Theroux. The actor made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in the first film as Ethan Chase, a guest on Murray Franklin’s chat show. In April 2023 he shared a photo on Instagram with Todd Phillips and Lady Gaga with the caption ‘Midnight jokers’ and ‘#thatsawrap’.
The unreliable narrator of Joker means there’s a chance De Niro’s Murray Franklin wasn’t gunned down on live television, but we’d be surprised if he’s back.
Looking at more likely inclusions, Douglas Hodge could also reprise his role as Alfred Pennyworth, while Dante Pereira-Olsen’s young Bruce Wayne makes sense if Folie à Deux wants to explore the origins of Batman and Mr. J’s toxic relationship.
What will happen in Joker: Folie à Deux?
The ending of Joker left things on something of a cliffhanger. An incarcerated Fleck was locked up in Arkham State Hospital at some unknown point after he incited riots across Gotham City. Fleck broke free after possibly murdering his therapist, so it’s likely Folie à Deux will follow him on the run as he continues his descent into becoming Joker.
The official synopsis for the sequel reads: “Joker: Folie à Deux finds Arthur Fleck institutionalised at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that's always been inside him.”
The Hollywood Reporter described Joker 2 as a musical, which would be a massive departure from what came before, but to be honest, something typically Joker-esque.
In early 2024, this was backtracked a tad, with the movie’s cinematographer Sher suggesting that “music is a part of the movie and the characters, but I don’t know if it’s a musical,“ adding: “It just has music in it, that’s all.” Variety later described the sequel as “a drama with musical elements.”
The concept of a musical is another interesting one, suggesting that Joker 2 could follow in the footsteps of everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to The Boys having musical episodes. It also leans further into the idea we’ll dive deeper into Fleck’s mind this time around.
What does Folie à Deux mean?
As defined by the Collins dictionary, Folie à Deux is a psychiatric term for “mental illness occurring simultaneously in two intimately related persons who share some of the elements of the illness, such as delusions.”
The literal translation from French is ‘double insanity’, and the first instance of the term was recorded in the 19th century. It is now defined as Shared Psychotic Disorder (SPD), and usually affects two or more people. There is usually a dominant partner, and another who acts under the other’s influence.
According to the National Library of Medicine, the condition is often associated with social isolation, one of the key themes of the first Joker movie.
Joker: Folie A Deux will be released in cinemas on 4 October.
