Filmmaker Todd Phillips has shared the first look at Joaquin Phoenix from his upcoming film Joker: Folie à Deux. The film is a sequel to his 2019 hit Joker, that earned his multiple Oscar nominations and even the Best Actor trophy for Joaquin’s performance as Arthur Fleck. (Also read: Joker movie review: Joaquin Phoenix delivers Oscar-worthy performance in daring and distressing masterpiece)
Sharing the photo on Sunday, Todd wrote on Instagram, “Day 1. Our boy. #joker.” The picture showed Arthur, likely in a jail, getting a shave. He is lying shirtless, looking skinnier than ever before, with shaving foam on his face, as an unknown person gives him a shave.
While fans were left excited after the photo-release, many also demanded to see Lady Gaga. She plays Harley Quinn in the movie and her look as not been revealed yet. “Sneak peak at Gaga plis,” asked a person. “Will we get your girl on Day 2,” asked another. “Please give us a picture of Harley Quinn aka Lady Gaga,” read another comment.
The film is said to be set in part in Arkham Asylum, the medical facility frequented by many of Batman’s villains in the comics. Joaquin and Todd are back in their respective roles for the new project. Todd is co-writing the screenplay with Scott Silver.
Brendan Gleeson, and Catherine Keener also round out the cast of the upcoming movie. Studio Warner Bros has set October 4, 2024 as the release date for Joker: Folie a Deux.
Recently, Margot Robbie, who has played Harley Quinn in multiple DC movies, gave her blessings to Gaga. “It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning that all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters the way…like Macbeth or Batman always gets passed from great actor to great actor,” she told MTV News in a video interview. “Someone gets to do their Batman, or someone gets to do their Macbeth.”
Margot continued, “I feel like, in not so many cases, are there female characters – Queen Elizabeth I, but beyond that, which I got to have a crack out as well, which I was honored to do. I was like, ‘Wow! Cate Blanchett did Queen Elizabeth I. Now I get to.’ It’s such an honor to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters that other actors get to have a go at playing. And I think she’ll do something incredible with it.”