Lady Gaga in talks to play Harley Quinn in 'Joker 2'

Todd Phillps' dark take on DC's most infamous villain is also rumoured to be converted into a musical

Can you imagine Todd Phillps' dark take on DC's most infamous villain being converted into a musical? Well, neither could we. However, if reports are to be trusted, the Joaquin Phoenix-starrer Joker 2 - a sequel to his 2019 hit film - will be a musical for which singer-turned-actor, Lady Gaga, is currently in the talks.

According to Variety, the Bad Romance hitmaker will be seen portraying Harley Quinn - Joker's love interest and partner in crime in the film. Speculation that Quinn would appear in the movie first bubbled to the surface after Phillips posted the cover of the screenplay to Instagram on June 7. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Variety (@variety)

The publication further shared that the subtitle for the film, Folie A Deux, refers to a shared delusional disorder and Joker's only real companion - other than Batman, anyway - has been Quinn, a character first created for Batman: The Animated Series in the early 1990s.

Making Joker 2 a musical is another bold stroke by the director, who struck gold - at the box office (with $1 billion in worldwide grosses) and the Oscars (with 12 nominations and two wins) - when he reframed the Dark Knight's number one villain as a loner anti-hero.

Phoenix won the Best Actor for his performance as the titular character, aka Arthur Fleck. The Her star is also rumoured to reprise his performance, though his deal is not settled yet.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Todd Phillips (@toddphillips)

According to the outlet, all other details about Folie A Deux remain under wraps, so it's unclear whether Gaga would also contribute any music to the project, but it's a safe bet that it's at least on the table. 

Gaga previously worked with Phillips in his capacity as one of the producers of 2018's A Star Is Born, which earned Gaga an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and an Oscar win for original song. That movie's star and director, Bradley Cooper, was also a producer on Joker, but it is yet unclear what level of involvement he has on Folie A Deux.

“Director Todd Phillips’ original, stand-alone origin story Joker explores the world of—and according to—Arthur Fleck,” says the synopsis.

“Indelibly portrayed by Phoenix, Arthur is a man facing the cruelty and outright scorn of society, along with the indifference of a system that allows him to spiral from vulnerability into depravity. A clown-for-hire by day, he strives to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds that the joke always seems to be on him. He’s out of tune with everyone around him, as evidenced by his uncontrollable, inappropriate laughter, which gains momentum as he attempts to contain it, exposing him to further ridicule—and even violence."

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