2019’s Joker gave audiences the dark backstory of one of DC Comics' most iconic villains, played by Joaquin Phoenix. While director Todd Philips’ version of Joker didn’t cross over with Matt Reeves’ The Batman, it doesn’t mean this deranged clown’s story is over just yet. Something important to know about Joker: Folie à Deux is that this upcoming sequel will actually be a musical. This interesting reveal shouldn’t have been too surprising given it was confirmed Lady Gaga would be starring, along with Phoenix reprising his Oscar-winning role. While we’re still waiting in anticipation for Joker 2 to make our way into theaters, an on-set video may have revealed one of Lady Gaga’s new songs for the upcoming musical.
Lady Gaga’s last film, House of Gucci, may not have brought out her musical side in her character or even in the soundtrack, but fortunately, this pop star’s voice will shine once again in her next movie Joker: Folie à Deux, where she plays psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel, who falls for Arthur Fleck a.k.a. The Joker, and becomes Harley Quinn. A new video shared on Twitter by Joker Folie News reveals Lady Gaga carrying a tune for the new musical. Listen to this on-set video below:
🚨 LADY GAGA CANTANDO NO SET DE "JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX" - #Joker2 🎬🃏 pic.twitter.com/lflVulzGcIMarch 30, 2023
The "Born This Way" singer may not be present in the video, but her voice is memorable enough to recognize. Twitter has been divided on exactly what song the A Star Is Born actress is singing. When you hear the lyric “Be a clown,” you’re thinking of the song "Be a Clown" by Judy Garland and Gene Kelly. But then you hear the lyric, “Or the scene where the villain is mean,” which could come from the song "That’s Entertainment!", which was also originally sung by Judy Garland. Either way, it looks like The Wizard of Oz singer will be honored once again, like she was in A Star Is Born's tiny missed detail when Lady Gaga’s character was singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at the beginning of the movie. This makes me ponder whether Joker 2 will solely be a jukebox musical or if it will have some original songs thrown in too.
The first Joker movie gave us a bit of foreshadowing of how important music is for this supervillain’s story. Outside of Joker’s many kills, his insane clown-like persona does a surprising amount of dancing, with Todd Philips’ explanation being Arthur Fleck has a lot of music in him. Once he transforms into the murderous villain audiences were expecting, the music inside of him is unleashed. We see him dance poetically in an abandoned bathroom after committing his first murders, as well as during the well-known staircase scene, which has now become a huge tourist spot.
These dancing scenes were very important for Joker because they revealed the birth of the sadistic villain audiences have been waiting to see. After plummeting into madness, he feels happy for the first time compared to feeling like a failed stand-up comic. With songs coming into play for the sequel, we’ll get to delve more into the savage minds of both Joker and Harley Quinn. It'll only be a matter of time before Joker: Folie à Deux becomes Broadway’s next adaptation.
In her usual Lady Gaga fashion, she’s apparently been putting the work into Joker 2, with an inside source saying she’s “immersed” in her new role and “wants to kill it.” Should we just hand her the Oscar now? With Joker: Folie à Deux opening in theaters on October 4, 2024, prepare yourself by watching the first Joker movie with your HBO Max subscription.
