Harley Quinn and the Clown Prince of Crime are trying to show that love is the one thing the world needs right now. That's the takeaway from the first teaser trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux, in which Lady Gaga plays the equally depraved Harley Quinn and Joaquin Phoenix returns as Batman's infamous enemy Arthur Fleck, aka Joker.

The unconventional relationship

At Arkham Asylum, where Joker is incarcerated at the conclusion of the first film, the gloomy and ominous scene commences, with him engaging in a disturbed "meet cute" with another patient—you got it, Gaga's Harley Quinn—. Following their fortuitous meeting, they intend to escape from their padded quarters and face the world outside. After that, they go to Gotham and dance and swirl wildly all over the city.

Harley Quinn informs the Joker that, in contrast to him, she hasn't accomplished anything in her life and that no one takes her seriously while she imitates shooting herself in the head with a finger pistol. Arthur was a struggling stand-up comedian and sometimes clown in the first film, which provided a sombre backstory for the character. In the sequel, Harley, his deranged inspiration, joins him on tour as he performs on several stages. However, he doesn't appear to be so alone in this film adventure. 

To quote the trailer, "I'll tell you what's changed" is what Joker says, adding, "I'm not alone anymore."

CinemaCon revelation

Movie theatre owners gather annually for CinemaCon, when director Todd Phillips premieres the footage. Despite the promotion of the 2019 Joker as a one-off, Phillips revealed that Phoenix and he had always discussed the possibility of creating a sequel. The filmmaker explained that they didn't want to jinx the original movie, but they loved the character of Arthur too much, and Gaga is a magical force, so they cast her.

According to reports, it is a jukebox musical, but little is known about the sequel's narrative, and there will be plenty of song and dance numbers. However, Phillips acknowledged that the category isn't exactly true. Music, according to him, is a crucial component, and it stays pretty true to the original.

Financial success and release date

Joker, the first R-rated film to earn over a billion dollars worldwide, became an enormous hit with audiences all over the world. It was nominated for eleven Oscars, including Best Picture, and took home two (Best Actor, Phoenix, and Original Score, Hildur Guðnadóttir).

Just five years after the original Joker premiered, on October 4, 2024, the sequel will make its theatrical debut. Producing the original, which was remarkably frugal for a comic book adaptation, cost $62.5 million. Due to its extraordinary financial success, the sequel was able to command a substantially higher $200 million price tag. Warner Bros. premiered Joker footage during their presentation to exhibitors.

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