The sequel to the award-winning movie Joker (titled Joker: Folie À Deux) is set to debut on October 4th. News surrounding it started with Lady Gaga being cast as Harleen Quinzel. Recently, we learned that Gaga won't go by Harley Quinn. She’ll use the character’s real name but be called “Lee” instead of Harley.
Later, fans were told that Joker: Folie À Deux would be a musical. As a fan of the genere, this didn’t seem like a good idea and the cast doesn’t either. During her time with the press, Lady Gaga reiterates that Joker: Folie À Deux isn't "really" a musical.
Lady Gaga doesn’t view #Joker2 as a musical.
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) September 4, 2024
Gaga says “the music is used to really give the characters a way to express what they need to say because the scene and dialogue is just not enough” #Venezia81 pic.twitter.com/XV5tmmrhY9
This is a negative for comic book fans. Joker and Harley Quinn isn’t a pair that should star in a musical in Todd Phillips' universe. This is why he and now Gaga are playing, for the lack of a better term, crowd control. Thankfully, Gaga explained why there is singing and how it works in this movie (you can see more in the tweet above).
“The music is a way to give the characters a way to express themselves because the dialogue wasn’t enough,” -Lady Gaga
Instead of singing songs throughout the film, Joker and Lee will use music to get their feelings out. Todd Phillips did something genius. The performances will sound “nerve-racking.” This adds to the creepiness of the couple. It's a brilliant idea considering that both characters are deranged. Unfortunately, people heard the word musical and immediately thought of Chicago or Les Misérables.
As I try not to be overcritical before the movie debuts, it isn’t a good sign that the musical topic is brought up again. Granted, the press has to ask questions that fans want to know. Among them is the neon sign about Joker: Folie À Deux being a musical. This won’t be the last time this is brought up leading up to the movie’s premiere. However, pay attention to how Joaquin Phoenix reacts to the questions.
Phoenix has a reputation for odd behavior during interviews. If he feels the questions about Joker: Folie À Deux are redundant or rude, it’s easy to see him leaving an interview or being crass to the press. Hopefully, that won’t happen. It would affect the movie’s pre-ticket sales and box office numbers on opening weekend.
No matter how you feel about Joker and what Todd Phillips is doing with the DC Comics characters, we should wait and see before being too negative. It could be the best movie of all time that no one sees. Stay tuned to Caped Crusades to see if that's the case.
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