Production has officially begun on Joker: Folie à Deux, and thanks to director Todd Phillips, we have a first look at Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck.
The madman was placed in Arkham Asylum after he murdered a talk show host and inspired Gotham City's working class to rise up against their apparent oppressors. However, while the white on Arthur's face is no doubt meant to evoke memories of his alter-ego, Joker, the prisoner is simply receiving a shave in his dark and depressing new surroundings.
With any luck, Phillips plans to also share a shot of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn soon. We still don't know if she's a fellow inmate or a doctor, but the singer's presence is thought to be key in a sequel that will feature big musical numbers.
Zazie Beetz returns as Sophie Dumond in Joker: Folie à Deux, while Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, and Jacob Lofland have also recently joined the cast. Unsurprisingly, the movie is shrouded in secrecy, so it could be a while before we get a better idea of what to expect from this one.
Joker: Folie à Deux remains the only DC movie to have received the green light in the Warner Bros. Discovery era, with it pre-dating the formation of DC Studios.
In fact, it's the only movie based on a DC Comics character currently heading our way in 2024. However, the expectation from the start has been that this and The Batman franchise would remain separate from what we see in James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DCU.
Back in 2019, Joker became the first R-Rated movie to gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. It also earned 12 Oscar nominations, so don't bank on Phillips suddenly changing tact and embracing the comics here. That's not a bad thing, of course, as the first chapter was a great movie that delivered a refreshing take on the Clown Prince of Crime.
Joker: Folie à Deux is set to be released in theaters on October 4, 2024, exactly five years after Joker debuted.