GOTHAM IS ABLAZE WITH TWISTED LAUGHTER, DOOMED DESIRES, AND A MADNESS THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDS. WHO BETTER TO TELL THE TALE THAN JOAQUIN PHOENIX AND LADY GAGA THEMSELVES, AS THEY DIVE HEADFIRST INTO THE MADNESS OF JOKER FOLIE A DEUX-A STORY OF PASSION PERIL AND PUNCHLINES THAT MIGHT JUST MAKE YOU SHUDDER...

The world of the Joker has always danced on the edge of insanity, but this time it’s waltzing into something entirely unexpected — a musical… of sor ts. Yes, you heard that right: hitting the big screen this October 4th, Joker: Folie à Deux is taking the chaos of Gotham and spinning it into a psychological thriller with a tune, blending music with mania. But don’t be fooled — this is not your typical burst-into-song production. Director Todd Phillips and Co-Writer Scott Silver have crafted something audacious, something that dares to unsettle and delight in equal measure.

Two years after the events of the 2019 Joker, Arthur Fleck — now institutionalised in Arkham State Hospital — finds his world colliding with Lee, a music therapist. What follows is a descent into madness, fueled by their shared delusions and an unpredictable movement outside the asylum’s walls that threatens to burn Gotham to the ground.

Phillips, who returns to the director’s chair, is quick to insist that this isn’t your standard sequel. “I don’t think of it as a sequel. Hangover 2 was a sequel,” Phillips teases when speaking to Empire. “So often a sequel is more of the same, just bigger. Of course, Folie à Deux is a sequel, but it felt like we were making something entirely different. It’s tonally and inherently something way more different.” And different it is.

Where the first Joker redefined the comic book movie by stripping it down to the core of human suffering and societal neglect, this follow-up dares to add an unexpected twist: music. But not in the sense of grand, polished showstoppers. Oh no, this is Gotham after all. As Phoenix explains when speaking to the publication, Arthur Fleck’s singing voice is far from professional. “It was important to protect [the music in him] with poor phrasing and occasional bum notes,” he reveals. “Arthur grew up hearing his mother play these songs on the radio. He’s not a singer, and he shouldn’t sound like a professional singer. He should sound like somebody that’s taking a shower and just bursts out into song.” And bursting out into song is exactly what happens! In the wild, unpredictable way only Arthur Fleck can manage.

While it might seem jarring to hear the Joker sing, Phoenix’s take on the character is so deeply immersed in brokenness that his offbeat musical moments make perfect sense. Lady Gaga, too, gets in on the action, playing the equally fractured and fascinating Harley Quinn, who brings a melody of her own to the madness. And their chemistry? Pure, unhinged brilliance.

Casting Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn was always going to stir excitement, but in Folie à Deux, she doesn’t just bring her powerhouse voice to the table — she brings a deeper emotional weight to the character. “I wrote a waltz for the movie,” Gaga shares with Vogue, offering a glimpse into how deeply she’s ingrained herself into Harley’s psyche. With Gaga on board, Harley Quinn becomes more than just Joker’s sidekick or love interest; she’s a tragic gure whose madness mirrors Arthur’s in deeply personal ways.

LADY GAGA

“I worked really hard on [trying to sing like a normal person],” she adds. It’s a striking statement from an artist known for her vocal mastery, but Harley isn’t meant to be polished. She’s a woman unraveled, untangling her desires and delusions through music. “There are moments in the lm where I’m playing an adult woman who sings like a little girl. And she’s moving through the world with this kind of immaturity, which I thought was interesting.”

Their relationship is the heartbeat of Folie à Deux — a twisted, toxic symphony of codependency that vibrates with unease and electricity. Clearly, the musical elements don’t just serve to entertain; they lay bare the fragility and brokenness of these characters in ways dialogue alone could never achieve. Gaga’s voice, stripped of its usual vibrato, becomes a raw extension of Harley’s vulnerability. Phoenix even encouraged her to sing “poorly,” pushing her away from the technical perfection she’s known for. “I remember asking her to sing without her vibrato. She has a beautiful vibrato — too beautiful. I think she felt naked without it,” Phoenix adds when speaking to Vogue.

This raw, unaltered approach reflects the chaotic energy on set, which Gaga thrived in. “I actually really enjoyed [working with Joaquin Phoenix],” Gaga recalled during the Venice International Film Festival press conference. “It was a completely different experience to any I’ve ever had before with an actor. He’s incredibly loose and free, and I think I learned very much that going on set with a preconceived notion of what we were going to do was kind of the wrong idea, and I think we all kind of thrived in the moment and the chaos of it all.” Together, Phoenix and Gaga embody the madness that de nes Gotham’s most infamous couple. Their performances teeter on the edge of brilliance and disaster, much like the characters themselves.

Todd Phillips, once again, brings his gritty vision of Gotham to life, but this time with the addition of musical sequences that will leave audiences both mesmerised and disturbed. Zazie Beetz returns as Sophie Dumond, offering another grounded performance amid the chaos, while new faces like Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener add intrigue and gravitas to the ensemble.

So, if you thought you knew what to expect from Gotham’s Crown Prince of Crime — think again. Joker: Folie à Deux is set to challenge the very idea of what a sequel can be, bringing melody to madness in ways that will haunt audiences long after the nal note fades.

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