The director of Joker 2 defends a contentious change in the upcoming sequel.
By Pavethran Batmanathen
Even though Joker: Folie à Deux won’t be out for another two months, the filmmaker of the much awaited follow-up is already explaining to fans why one of the most significant deviations from the DC canon will occur in the movie.
Joker was an unexpected hit that stunned moviegoers, reviewers, and box office analysts when the DC-based Elseworld tale reimagined the sometimes murky beginnings of Batman’s most recognisable enemy to achieve enormous popularity. Riding this wave, the movie became the highest grossing R-rated box office draw ever, setting a record of $1,078,958,629 until the recent success of Deadpool & Wolverine, which many would argue is largely due to the proof of concept that Joker provided to Marvel Studios and other players in the industry, such as Sony.
While some wondered if Joker 2 would attempt to recreate lightning in a bottle or take on some of the more well-known elements of the DC mythos, it doesn’t appear that the sequel film will draw heavily from any preexisting material in terms of one significant addition. During a candid interview with Variety regarding the new movie, director Todd Phillips disclosed that Lady Gaga’s portrayal of Harley Quinn in the musical sequel will be drastically different from her conventional portrayals in the movie.
“We removed all of that sassy stuff from the comics, including the high voice, accent, gum-chewing, and other things,” Phillips said. “We wanted her to blend in with the Gotham universe we established with the first film.”
Discussions on the departure from previous incarnations have been going on for a time. While the follow-up movie is set in Arkham State Hospital, which is a parody of the famous Arkham institution, it has already been announced that Harley won’t be getting her original origin story as a psychologist who is insane due to her love for the Joker and his manipulations. Rather, this Harley is going to be a fellow patient who feeds into the protagonist’s hallucinations; Gaga is supposedly more than musically qualified for this part.
The choice to so significantly alter Gaga’s portrayal of the character is significant since, in certain circles, Harley and the Joker are even seen as members of DC’s Trinity. Harley is a different story. The Joker’s origin has always been unclear and veiled in mystery, but the 2019 Joker gave a well-written tale that connected with many of the more grounded aspects of the character. Harley Quinn has a relatively well-established backstory that has stayed mostly unchanged from her appearance in the classic Batman: The Animated Series from the 1990s, despite her affiliation with the Joker.
Even her more recent ascent to fame as a self-reliant woman who is no longer with her famous partner has the same fundamental beginning and characterisation, functioning more as character development than a reversal. Even ardent DC moviegoers hold great sentimental value for the Margot Robbie/Kaley Cuoco portrayal of the character. Without a question, the film’s creative team has given it their all, as evidenced by an early Joker 2 review that boldly asserted the sequel will be a darker picture that stands as one of the most daring movies of our time. Only at the time of release will the questions of how the selected direction will be received by fans and how it will affect the influence of the second picture on the mythos established in the first film be resolved.
Joker: Folie à Deux is presently scheduled for October 4, 2024, theatrical release in the
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