Director Todd Phillips has shared a new photo from Joker: Folie à Deux. The film has wrapped filming and we have just one year to go until its October 2024 release date. As you can see, Joaquin Phoenix is embracing life in the rain, with a selection of colourful umbrellas surrounding him. There are many meanings that hide within this photo alone. It’s clear that Todd has a huge, ambitious appetite for this highly anticipated sequel. The new movie has a musical theme supported by composer Hildur Guðnadóttir and starring Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. The realistic, and somewhat devastating style that he captured will stay with fans for a long time. I can’t wait to uncover more about Arthur Fleck next year when this movie releases. I’m really excited to see what Phoenix can bring once more to the role but I’ve also enjoyed other actors in the role too. To our delight, Todd Phillips decided to work on a sequel to the 2019 output.
Only a handful of actors have dared to attempt stepping into that role on the big screen after Heath Ledger’s ridiculous, yet incredible, take on The Joker in The Dark Knight. One of the biggest versions to follow is when Jared Leto swept in to give us a punk version of the character in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016). The general feedback seemed to be that his style and delivery didn’t quite live up to what Heath had done. Jared Leto has spoken out about how a lot of the scenes in the movie sadly got cut. Although we see a different twist on this Joker in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, it just wasn’t quite enough. David Ayer, the director of Suicide Squad, said that he has a better version of the movie that he’d like to share one day. Just like the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut hashtag, there is now a #ReleaseTheAyerCut one supporting Ayer’s vision! So, will we see more depth to Jared’s take on The Joker in the future? Personally, I think that would be a great idea.
Following this, the next big-screen addition comes under the title of Joker. Released in 2019, and directed by Todd Phillips, Joker is completely set outside of the DC movies that come before it. It doesn’t try to connect to them in any way, and that’s an exciting idea in itself. This finally just gives space for this iconic character to tell his own solo story away from everything else. In a way, this movie is more of a character study, as opposed to being anything within the superhero realm. In the end, Joaquin Phoenix blew viewers away with his approach to the character. It seems like Joaquin completely lived, and breathed this character for the entire filming process. After losing 52 pounds for the role, he created a freaky and unsettling atmosphere with that haunting laugh in many of his scenes. It’s a fantastic film, that has you questioning society’s – at times – selfish impact on the everyday individual. Also, that scene with Robert De Niro is legendary…
After Barry Keoghan confirmed at the end of The Batman (2022), that Phoenix’s version will indeed not live within other DC projects, fans were left wondering if there was a future, or if it would just be the one movie. So, how excited are you for this sequel, and which on-screen Joker has been your favourite?
