Brendan Gleeson didn't take a lot of convincing from the creators of Joker: Folie a Deux to sign on for the sequel to Joker alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.
Joker, released in 2019, was a critical and commercial success as fans flocked to see a fresh incarnation of the most famous villain in comic book history.
Directed by Todd Phillips and starring Phoenix, the latter won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Arthur Fleck, whose fight against poverty and the elite of Gotham City saw him develop into the Joker.
On a budget of $70 million, it earned an astonishing $1bn at the box office.
The sequel is titled Joker: Folie a Deux. It will see Gaga take on the role of Harley Quinn in what is believed to be a musical.
Another actor who has been cast in an undisclosed role is Gleeson, who was inspired to join the sequel after watching Phoenix's Oscar-winning outing in the first movie.
"It wasn’t the material, which is a great way to get me out of having to answer any questions about the criteria," Gleeson told Collider when asked what attracted him to the project.
"It was the achievement of the first film. I worked with Joaquin before on The Village, and so I knew him from then. And that performance, I’m still in awe of it. That performance as Joker, in that first movie. It was one of the most extraordinary achievements. And for Todd to have worked the movie around to allow for that.
"I didn’t have to be asked twice. I really didn’t."
Joker: Folie a Deux is set to be released in October of 2024.
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
Arthur Fleck, better known as Joker, has ended up in Arkham Asylum. There he is assigned the psychiatrist Harley Quinn. A twisted relationship develops between Joker and Harley Quinn.
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Stars:
Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga and Zazie Beetz
Margot Robbie comments on Lady Gaga taking on Harley Quinn role
Margot Robbie has made the character of Quinn famous via her portrayals in Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad.
Last year, it was confirmed that Gaga will take on the role in Joker 2, which is outwith the Suicide Squad universe, and Robbie couldn't be happier as she always envisioned Harley Quinn being handed from one actor to another.
“It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning, all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters, the way like Macbeth or Batman always gets passed from great actor to great actor,” Robbie told MTV News.
“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.
“I think she will do something incredible with it.”
Related Movie
Joker
Crime / Drama
2019 • 122 minutes
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