See Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in Joker sequel Folie à Deux
The star revealed that the project has wrapped filming — here’s everything else to know about it.
By Dani Maher and Ella Sangster
LADY GAGA will star as the Harley Quinn to Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker in Folie à Deux, it has been confirmed. The film will make her the latest in a long list of actresses who have played Quinn in the 30 years since she was introduced in 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series.
The revelation that Gaga was onboard for the Joker sequel was speculated for some time before the singer officially announced her involvement via a video uploaded to Instagram on August 4, 2022. While it has always been unclear whether Gaga was, in fact, playing Harley Quinn, the news was confirmed this March after viral paparazzi photos showed her in costume filming in New York. In one snap, an extra is seen holding a prop newspaper with a mock mug shot of Gaga as Harley on the front. In the shot, she holds a criminal identifier with the name ‘Harleen Frances Quinzel’ — which any fan of the comics will know is Harley Quinn’s birth name.
On April 6, she officially confirmed the news, captioning an Instagram post of herself in costume, “That’s a wrap ❤️🔥 🎬🃏 X, Harleen.”
In addition to the paparazzi shots of her on set, Gaga has shared a peek at the film on Instagram, uploading a snap of herself and Phoenix, in costume.
“Folie à Deux 🃏,” she captioned the image.
Like director, Todd Philips’ take on the Joker, this would likely be a Harley Quinn unlike any we’ve seen before. She’ll exist in a separate universe to the more recent Suicide Squad films. But knowing Gaga, she’d certainly be memorable — one need only consider her iconic performances in House of Gucci or A Star Is Born (which was produced by Philips).
Has Margot Robbie commented on Lady Gaga playing Harley Quinn?
Taking on the role of one of pop culture’s most iconic villains is no small feat, but luckily for Gaga, Robbie — who played Quinn in the 2016’s Suicide Squad, as well as the 2021 sequel and the 2020 spinoff Birds of Prey — has offered her support.
“It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning is all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters, the way, like, Macbeth or Batman always gets passed, you know, from great actor to great actor,” Robbie expressed in a recent interview with MTV.
“It’s such an honour to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters that other actors get to have a go at playing,” Robbie added. “I think she’ll do something incredible with it.”
What does Folie à Deux mean?
Director and screenwriter Todd Phillips initially revealed the title of his Joker sequel back in June 2022, and only a week after, we scored two more major details about the project: Firstly, that it would potentially star none other than Gaga (confirmed); and secondly (and even more absurdly), it may be a musical (we can only hope).
The original film, starring Phoenix, was not free of controversy and criticism, but nevertheless garnered box office and critical success; grossing USD$1 billion and nabbing 12 Oscar nominations (including Best Actor, which Phoenix won). The sequel, as Philips revealed with a post to his Instagram of the blood-red screenplay, is titled Joker: Folie à Deux, which refers to a medical term for shared psychosis or delusional disorder.
Rumours soon emerged, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, that Gaga was tapped to play Harley Quinn in the sequel. As the DC Comics go, Quinn is the Arkham Asylum psychiatrist who falls in love with her patient, the Joker, and becomes his sidekick and partner in crime. A folie à deux, if we’ve ever seen one.
Related: Sydney Sweeney is set to star alongside Dakota Johnson in Madame Web
Is Joker: Folie à Deux a musical?
And if The Hollywood Reporter‘s claims that the sequel will be a musical are true, then it looks like we’ll be seeing Folie à Deux, Gaga, and Phoenix sweeping the awards season circuit once more.
To go from an intensely masculine film with a fanbase to match; to a singing-and-dancing spectacular starring the campiest of contemporary performers would be a bold move — but it’s one we’re sure we won’t be able to tear our eyes away from.
When will the Joker sequel be released
As Gaga revealed in her April 6 Instagram post, the project has wrapped filming. The movie is slated to hit screens on October 4, 2024 — so mark your calendars.
