Summary
- Joker: Folie À Deux will be darker, more inventive, bold, and incredibly original than its predecessor.
- Director Todd Phillips takes liberties in developing an origin story for Joker, creating tension and mystery.
- The upcoming film will introduce musical elements, visual playfulness, and explore Arthur Fleck’s disturbed mind.
The upcoming Joker: Folie àDeux film is set to debut in October, but the Venice Film Festival director just hinted at what to expect in the movie. The sequel to 2019s Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, has been hotly anticipated ever since the original movie was released in theaters. Despite existing in a separate branch of the DCU, the movie became incredibly popular as a standalone DC project thanks to the cerebral plot and the thrilling narrative which sees Arthur Fleck slowly descend into his broken mind. Ahead of the film’s global release in October 2024, Joker: Folie àDeux is set to be a part of the 2024 Venice Film Festival.
This event will showcase and highlight some of the biggest upcoming films ahead of next year’s awards season. As part of the event, Alberto Barbera, the artistic director for the event, has made preparations that the films and celebrities will have their opportunity to shine during the festival, and he has offered some insider info about the Joker sequel’s story in an interview with Vanity Fair. When asked; “She’ll be back with Joker: Folie À Deux this year. The first film was a bit polarizing when it premiered at Venice. Do you anticipate the sequel to get a similar reaction?” Barbera responded:
Yes, I think so. If you expect just a second part of the previous one, exactly the same kind of narrative and situation and so on, you are wrong, because the theme is much darker. It is much more inventive from every point of view. It’s completely unexpected. I think it is very bold, and brave, and creative, and an incredibly original film.
Related
Is Joker: Folie à Deux going to be a worthy sequel?
The trailers for Joker: Folie à Deux make it seem as if it will be in the same vein as Joker, which I am very happy about. When it was first announced it was a musical, I was not sure what to think, but what I have seen so far makes me think it will be a worthy sequel. I am not sure if it will be better than the first film, but that is always very hard to pull off.
How Joker: Folie À Deux Is Already Looking “More Inventive” Than The Original Movie
The Joker & Harley Quinn Are Set To Build On The Original Story
Barbera’s statement suggests that it may be difficult to anticipate what to expect from Joker: Folie à Deux in a way that resembles the original film’s anticipation. While the story is loosely based on the Joker from the Batman comics, director Todd Phillips has taken liberties with the story and created something new. It’s an origin story which is entirely different to what the Joker in the comics ever reveals.
The mystery of the character, his compulsion to lie and fabricate stories, and his desire to create chaos and mass destruction are all inherent, and in a way, these traits can be seen in Fleck. The fact that Arthur Fleck is such an untrustworthy narrator creates a tension and a wall that obstructs the audience from ever fully embracing him and understanding the character. Considering his role as a severely twisted and monstrous villain, this is for the best. However, it appears that Joker: Folie àDeux will take things to the next level.
Introducing musical elements, leaning heavily into the visual playfulness, and jumping back into the disturbed mind of Arthur Fleck is sure to be an adventure. The trailers, in association with Barbera’s comments, suggest that the upcoming film will be a spectacle that takes the franchise forward and builds on the original’s creativity and success. Now all that remains to be seen is how Joker: Folie àDeux actually plays when it hits theaters in October.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips’ critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.
- Director
- Todd Phillips
- Release Date
- October 4, 2024
- Studio(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Writers
- Todd Phillips , Scott Silver , Bob Kane , Paul Dini , Bill Finger , Bruce Timm , Jerry Robinson
- Franchise(s)
- Joker