Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker Returns in First Sequel Trailer

This is not a joke: The Joker sequel is a full-blown musical.

The first trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux is here, and it confirms that the film will feature a Joker (once again played by Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix) with a song in his heart. He will be joined by Lady Gaga, who will play this Joker’s version of his star-crossed love, Harley Quinn. Also returning from the first film is Todd Phillips, Joker’s co-writer and director.

The trailer shows Joker and Harley falling in love in a mental institution, and using music and dance to seemingly escape from the horrors of their incarceration. Half the movie looks terrifying and violent; the other half looks surreal and beautiful. Take a look at the movie’s first trailer below:

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In addition to Phoenix and Gaga, Folie à Deux’s cast includes Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson, Steve Coogan, Ken Leung, and Catherine Keener.

The first Joker, released in the fall of 2019, became a surprise blockbuster. Despite the fact that it was not based on any specific version of the title character from DC Comics, despite the fact that it did not include an appearance from any version of Batman, the movie became a massive success, grossing more than $1 billion worldwide. It was the first R-rated movie in history to earn that much money. Joker also went on to win two Academy Awards, for the film’s original score and for Joaquin Phoenix’s lead performance.

Although the movie was not intended to launch a franchise, Phillips and Phoenix openly began discussing the possibility of a sequel within months of Joker’s debut in theaters. Phillips officially confirmed the project and its official title with an Instagram post in the summer of 2022. Lady Gaga officially joined the project just a few weeks later.

Joker: Folie à Deux is currently scheduled to open in theaters on October 4.