by The fourth month of filming on the highly anticipated sequel to Joker, titled Joker: Folie à Deux, which translates from French to English as ‘Madness on Two,’ has begun.
On Saturday, director and co-writer Todd Phillips looked to be focusing most of his effort on casting newbie Lady Gaga for a sequence in the original that took place along the renowned steps in New York City.
As they strolled down those stairs, the duo seemed to be deep in discussion about the scenario at hand, with crew workers close behind.
Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta), 37, was wearing a furry black coat over a black polka-dot dress, matching shoes and socks, with her blonde hair worn long and somewhat unkempt.
They’d then come to a halt at one of the stairwell’s open landings so Phillips could point something out to the celebrity.
Phillips and Gaga proceeded down the stairs, discussing what was required for the day’s work.
After their talk, the director went down to the enormous camera gear put up at the foot of the staircase, while the singer-turned-actor turned around and went up many floors to the scene marker.
When Gaga was ready for her time in the limelight, she turned around and gave a thumbs up to the photographers and film crew below.
Phillips eventually said, ‘Action,’ and she started the leisurely trek down the stairs for the sequence, which didn’t seem to feature any of her co-stars or extras.
Joaquin Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck/Joker, a mentally ill, penniless party clown and stand-up comedian shunned by society, whose background of abuse drives him to become a nihilistic criminal with a clown theme in the sequel.
Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga, is a psychiatrist who falls in love with Arthur.
Zazie Beetz also reprises her role as Sophie Dumond, a sarcastic single mother whom Arthur dreamed about as a love interest, although they only met once.
Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Harry Lawtey are among the cast members of Folie à Deux.
Set in a deteriorating Gotham City in 1981, the first film follows Arthur Fleck, a failing clown and aspiring stand-up comedian whose spiral into mental illness and nihilism ignites a violent countercultural revolt against the rich.
Principal photography for Joker 2 kicked-off back on December 10, 2022, which Phillips marked by sharing a first look photo on his Instagram
The original picture, Joker, had its international debut in August 2019 at the 76th Venice International picture Festival, where it garnered an eight-minute standing ovation from the audience and went on to win the Gold Lion Award, the highest accolade given to a film at the festival in Italy.
Joker went on to become a critical and popular success, making a whopping $1.074 billion at the global box office.
Originally intended to be a solo picture, Joker’s huge popularity inspired discussion of a sequel, which began production in early 2021.
Phoenix’s compensation for the sequel climbed from $4.5 million to a stunning $20 million as a consequence of the original film’s economic success.
Phillips had suggested that a sequel might be considered dependent on the film’s success and Phoenix’s desire.
In the end, all parties concerned agreed to continue the plot, but this time it would be billed as a musical psychological thriller.
