Have you ever met someone who gets you so completely that they light up your life and put a song in your heart? In the lore of Batman, it’s Harley Quinn who does that for the Joker before their inevitable chaotic breakup. But when Joker and Harley come together, they have their own special kind of madness. The upcoming sequel to Joker, Joker: Folie à Deux, shows us a glimpse of their shared insanity in the first trailer for the film. As soon as Joker meets his Harley, his life becomes a musical.
Joaquin Phoenix is reprising his Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck, the man who became the Joker in the first film. As you may recall, Joker ended with Fleck imprisoned in an asylum, but he left his mark on Gotham City. That may be why he catches the eye of Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who appears to be a fellow inmate rather than a doctor in this incarnation.
The trailer offers a few hints about Joker and Harley’s courtship as viewed through the lens of classic Hollywood musical romances. One of the primary reasons that Lady Gaga was cast in the role has to be for scenes where Harley will sing. But there’s more dancing than singing in this trailer.
One of the more intriguing sequences in this preview appears to show Arthur running through Gotham City as himself, with his Joker persona chasing him. What does it all mean? We’ll have to wait six months until we find out.
Todd Phillips directed Joker: Folie à Deux from a script he co-wrote with Scott Silver. Joker: Folie à Deux will hit theaters on Friday, October 4.
