by Lady Gaga is in discussions to portray Harley Quinn alongside Joaquin Phoenix in the impending sequel to 2019’s Joker, which will also be a musical, according to PEOPLE.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gaga’s Harley will reside “in a different DC universe” from the one portrayed by Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad (2016), Birds of Prey (2020), and The Suicide Squad (2020).
While narrative and character specifics are yet unclear, Harley — previously known as Dr. Harleen Quinzel — is the love interest/sidekick of the villain Joker in numerous renditions of the Batman tale, and met the nasty joker while working as his psychiatrist at Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum.
With the working title Joker: Folie à Deux, Todd Phillips will return as director and co-writer with Scott Silver.
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Phillips, 51, hinted on Instagram last week that a Joker sequel was in the works.
The crimson cover of a screenplay titled Joker: Folie à Deux kicked off the two-part article. The binder was dated May 18 and had his name beside Silver’s, 57, with whom he also co-wrote the original Joker script.
Phoenix, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2020 for his portrayal as Arthur Fleck and his alter ego in the first film, was shown leisurely perusing the screenplay on a sofa while enjoying a cigarette in a second image.
While Deadline claimed at the moment that Phoenix, 47, has not to formally confirm that he will take up the lipstick again, the post teased the prospect that the actor would reprise his role as the supervillain.
The phrase “Folie à Deux,” which refers to a hallucination or mental disorder shared by two individuals, also implies that Joker may link up with another supervillain, presumably his ex-girlfriend Harley.
Phillips’ original Joker surpassed box-office records by becoming the first R-rated film to gross $1 billion in 2019. The film recreated the story of the DC superhero and received 12 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Aside from Phoenix, composer Hildur Gunadóttir won Best Original Score.
Despite the great buzz, the film sparked controversy, with some worried that its portrayal of violence might encourage copycats. It also included a song by convicted pedophile Gary Glitter, however it was subsequently revealed that he would not get royalties from the use of his song “Rock and Roll (Part 2)” in the film.
In response to the reaction, Phoenix said in 2019, “Well, I think that, for the most of us, you’re able to tell the difference between right and wrong.”
According to IGN, he stated during a Joker press conference, “Those who aren’t are capable of interpreting anything in the way that they may want to.”
