From within the walls of Arkham State Hospital, Joker and Harley Quinn share delusions of fame, and spark a movement to free them
A new trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux shows Arthur Fleck (aka the Joker) finding love with Harleen Quinzel (aka Harley Quinn) within the confines of Arkham State Hospital. The film reunites original Joker director/co-writer Todd Phillips and Joker star Joaquin Phoenix, with Lady Gaga taking on the role of Harley Quinn.
The new trailer begins with Fleck being transferred to Arkham following the murder of talk show host Murray Franklin at the end of the previous Joker film. As he awaits trial, he finds love with fellow inmate Quinn. “When I first saw Joker, when I saw you,” Quinn says, “for once in my life, I didn’t feel so alone anymore.”
Once united, Fleck and Quinn envision themselves as musical superstars. And from outside the walls of the asylum, a movement grows to free them from confinement. “Look around, look at all these people,” Joker says during his trial, which he turns into a literal circus by wearing his signature makeup in the courtroom. “I will no longer allow any of you to keep me down.”
The first Joker film was one of the most successful movies of 2019, grossing over $1 billion dollars worldwide on a budget of just $55 billion. “Laughing maniacally, dancing on a stairway to Gary Glitter’s ‘Rock and Roll Part 2,’ and twisting his face and body into contortions that defy physics, Phoenix is a virtuoso of unleashed id,” Peter Travers wrote in a four-and-a-half star review for Rolling Stone. “You don’t dare look away from him.”
The film was originally seen as a standalone movie, but talk of a sequel began once it became clear the original was going to wildly exceed Hollywood expectations. Anticipation for the sequel grew once Lady Gaga signed on to portray Harley Quinn. It’s only her second film role following her 2018 breakthrough role in A Star Is Born. In 2021, she started as Patrizia Reggiani in Ridley Scott’s underwhelming House of Gucci.
Joker: Folie à Deux opens in theaters on October 4 after premiering at the Venice Film Festival.