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One of the most acknowledged villains in superhero history, the Joker is a lunatic that comic book fans love to hate. From his iconic red smile to his sarcastic remarks, the DC character was brought to life by a few notorious names such asHeath Ledger,Jack Nicholson, andJoaquin Phoenix. The latter even garneredhis first Academy Award for Best Actorfor his riveting portrayal of Arthur Fleck’s journey from a failed clown and struggling comedian to a violent and deranged criminal. After the impressive result of $1 billion at the worldwide box office,Todd Phillipsreturns to the director’s chair to helm a sequel to his 2019 film,Joker. Now that we know a few exciting details about the upcoming production, including the official release date and new additions to the cast, here is a compilation of all the info that we know so far about this follow-up project.
Editor’s Note: This piece was updated on July 31, 2025.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux explores Arthur Fleck’s ongoing struggle with his dual identity as he unexpectedly discovers love and unleashes his hidden musical talent. Set against a backdrop of societal unrest, Arthur’s journey intertwines personal transformation with chaotic encounters, leading to profound shifts in his life and the world around him.
Does ‘Joker: Folie À Deux’ Have a Release Date?
On June 25, 2025, it was revealed thatthe sequel would come out on July 29, 2025. The release date will be exactly five years after the first film hit theaters. The movie will be released two days earlier in territories outside North America on July 27, 2025.
The movie will also receive a limited run in 70mm IMAX film, much likeChristopher Nolan’sOppenheimer. However, there has been no confirmed list of which theaters in which territories will be carrying this format of the movie.
Much like its predecessor,Joker: Folie À Deuxwill have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September 2024, where it will be competing for the prestigious Golden Lion Award (which the first film won in 2019).
After polarizing reviewsand debates onJoker’s moral compass, it took a while to know for certain if there would even be a sequel. Gladly, Phillips shared an Instagram post of the screenplay cover back in June to confirm the news. Not only did the post feature the official title of the film,Joker: Folie À Deux, but it also revealed that the filmmaker would return to direct and continue to tell the story of the infamous villain alongside his co-writer,Scott Silver.
Is There a Trailer for ‘Joker: Folie À Deux’?
Yes,the first official trailer forJoker: Folie Á Deuxwas released by Warner Bros on June 28, 2025, during the studio’s panel at CinemaCon 2024. The trailer is set to a cover of the classic song “What the World Needs Now Is Love” and begins with Arthur Fleck attending a music therapy class in Arkham Asylum, where he meets Harleen Quinzel. The trailer then cuts between musical dreamlike sequences as well as scenes of the criminal lovebirds causing all kinds of chaos throughout Gotham City.
Thesecond trailer forJoker: Folie À Deuxwas released by Warner Bros on July 23, shortly after it was announced that the movie would be premiering at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. The new trailer opts to use different songs than the first trailer, beginning with a slowed-down version ofFrank Sinatra’s “When You’re Smiling.” The trailer also showcases a scene with Arthur singingStevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life” to himself while watching TV and smoking a cigarette. The preview ends with Harley softly singingJudy Garland’s “Get Happy.”
Who Stars in ‘Joker: Folie À Deux’?
First and foremost,Joaquin Phoenixwill be reprising his Academy Award-winning role as Arthur Fleck aka Joker, inJoker: Folie Á Deux. In 2020, Phoenix became the second actor in history to win an Oscar for playing the iconic supervillain after Heath Ledger posthumously won Best Supporting Actor for playing the Joker inThe Dark Knight.
Academy Award and Grammy Award winnerLady Gagais playing the ever-iconic role ofHarley Quinnin the upcoming movie. The character was originally introduced in Batman: The Animated Series as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist who ends up head over heels for the Joker. However, inJoker: Folie Á Deux, the character will be an inmate at Arkham Asylum, having already gone mad long before she meets the Clown Prince of Crime. It isn’t the first time that Gaga has played a devious character on the big screen. In 2021, the singer/actress incorporated Patrizia Reggiani inRidley Scott’s take on the tragic death of Maurizio Gucci (played byAdam Driver). Audiences that have seenHouse of Gucciknow that Gaga can perfectly portray a femme fatale, so having her as Harley Quinn seems like a spot-on casting decision.
Gaga teased her experience of playing Harley Quinn in an interview with Access Hollywood, saying that Harley “is very special to me she’s a truly vulnerable sweet person. You know, my version of Harley is mine, and it’s very authentic to this movie and these characters.”
Gaga also was enthusiastic about working with Phoenix and Phillips, saying:
“This movie has music and the dance, it has amazing acting in it. I mean, I loved working with Joaquin, I loved working with Todd. I’ve never done anything like I’ve done in this movie before, so it’s all going to be completely brand new, and really fun.”
In a shocking revelation, the movie’s casting director Francine Maisler revealed thatGaga wasn’t actually the first choice for the role, going on to say:
“I didn’t suggest Lady Gaga. It wasn’t my idea. That was Todd Phillips, before me. But I will tell you, she’s really surprising — and really good. I saw it and I was really surprised. I mean, we all knew what she could do in A Star Is Born, but I thought, ‘Oh, well, that’s kind of in her wheelhouse.’ Something she could do and just be real. But this… Man, she’s good.”
A great array of talented performers will be joining Phoenix and Gaga in the musical sequel.Zazie Beetz, who memorably played Sophie, the beautiful neighbor whom Arthur stalks in the 2019 film, will reprise her role.Sharon WashingtonandLeigh Gillwill also be reprising their roles from the first movie as Arthur’s social worker and Arthur’s coworker, Gary. Academy Award nomineeBrendan Gleeson(The Banshees of Inisherin), will also be joining the cast as a prison guard at Arkham Asylum. Academy Award Nominated actressCatherine Keener(Get Out) has also joined the project in a key role. Other new cast members in the sequel includeHarry Lawtey(Industry),Jacob Lofland(Mud), Academy Award nomineeSteve Coogan(Philomena), andKen Leung(Star Wars: The Force Awakens).
A closed-caption version of the movie’s second trailer also reveals that the iconic Batman characterHarvey Dent (also known by his villainous alter ego Two-Face) will have some sort of presence, as his voice is heard on the radio. However, it is still unconfirmed whether the character will make a physical appearance in the movie, which means that we obviously don’t know who will play the character if/when he shows up.
What Will ‘Joker: Folie À Deux’ Be About?
The official synopsis forJoker: Folie À Deuxreads:
“Joker: Folie À Deux” finds Arthur Fleck institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.
Based on the teaser trailer, the film will begin with Arthur Fleck meeting Harleen Quinzel, a fellow patient at Arkham Asylum, during a musical therapy class. The two begin to fall madly in love with one another, and it seems that at some point in the movie, they’ll break out of their cells and rampage through Gotham City.
The second trailer discloses a little more about the movie’s plot, which will also involve Arthur Fleck standing trial for the crimes he committed in the first movie (and possibly in the new movie as well).
Based on the title, which is a French phrase that means"shared madness by two people in close association", the story will probably follow a similar train of thought as the comics. Given that Harley Quinn and Arthur Fleck fall in love at the asylum, the film could be centered on their romance and how it reflects on their cruel partnership in the future. Who knows, maybe “Bad Romance” could even be the couple’s song.
The sequel will be a musicaland will lean further into Arthur’s dreamlike delusions. Since Gaga has won an Academy Award for her work in “Shallow”, the highly-successful original song in the 2018 version ofA Star Is Born, the music aspect in the follow-up will be in good hands.
Zazie Beetz talked about the musical elements, saying:
I think people will be surprised. I don’t think it’s going to be what they expect, around it being musical,” Beetz, who is reprising her role as Sophie Dumond for “Joker: Folie à Deux, we all sort of express musically and dancing in our lives day-to-day. I think it’s going to work really well.
A source close to the project has stated that the movie will have some “complicated musical sequences,” and that the budget will be much larger than the first film’s $55 million budget, at around $200 million.
When Did ‘Joker: Folie À Deux’ Film?
Filming forJoker: Folie Á Deuxbegan on June 09, 2025. Production for the first film lasted around three months, and with the ramped-up budget for the sequel and reportedly elaborate musical setpieces, filming for the sequel took a bit longer. It wrapped up filming in April 2023.
Todd Phillips took to Instagram and posted thefirst official imagefrom the sequel to commemorate the start of filming.
The director returned to the social media platform to celebrate a successful shoot. Phillips gives us a new look at Lady Gaga’s Harleen Quinzel. Now the film is in post-production.
Will ‘Joker: Folie À Deux’ Be Rated R?
Yes, much like the first movie, which still holds the record for the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time,Joker: Folie À Deuxhas officially been given an R-rating by the MPA, for “some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality, and brief full nudity.”
Is ‘Joker: Folie À Deux’Connected To ‘The Batman’?
Given that a similarly dark approach to Joker’s mortal enemy inThe Batman, you might be wondering ifRobert Pattinson’s character could be linked to Phoenix’s. After all, audiences see the Riddler and the Joker connecting with one another behind closed bars at the end of the 2022 film, this time played byBarry Keoghan.Despite the hint to Joker’s future involvement in the Cape Crusaders’ story, Matt Reeves explained the real reason why he decided to include that nod to the iconic villainin an interview with Variety.
“I initially tested it without it; when I put it back in, the scores for the ending went back up. And I think it wasn’t just that people enjoyed seeing that character. It changed people’s response to the very ending of the movie, to see that Gotham was still Gotham, and that Batman really didn’t have a choice. He has to keep doing what he’s gonna do.”
Phillips was also very straightforward whenJokercame out that it wasn’t directly linked to the DC Extended Universe. Instead of connecting the character toJustice LeagueorSuicide Squad, the director wanted the film to be solely about the villain’s backstory. He even pitched to Warner Bros about starting a label called DC Black, in which various directors could pick a DC character and adapt their story to the screen without being attached to other franchises. TellingDeadline:
“I said, ‘This will be the first movie, and then we’ll get this director to do that, and this director to do this, and we’ll call it DC Black, and Joker will be the first film. In a weird way, it gives you two bites of the apple, of these characters. You can do these kind of down-and-dirty character studies over here, and still do the DC Universe over there. To which they said, ‘Okay, calm down, you’re not starting a label here at Warners, but this is interesting. Go write this and tell us what you’re thinking.’”
SinceJokerwas the first film to make this idea a reality, the sequel won’t be any different.
After the surprising announcement thatJames GunnandPeter Safranwould be taking over as the heads of DC Studios, many started to speculate whether or not their arrival would have an impact on the film. Variety reported that the follow-upwould be in no way connectedto the new slate of DC films on the horizon from the new leadership.
