Folie à Deux Will Start in an Sudden Method

A brand new article in Variety discussing director Todd Phillips‘ upcoming musical/character research/courtoom drama/comic-book sequel Joker: Folie à Deux, features a few heretofore unknown teases—together with what transpires within the film’s opening moments.

Because the outlet reveals, the sequel begins with “a Looney Tunes-inspired” animated sequence, guest-directed by The Triplets of Belleville‘s Sylvain Chomet. Following, the story goes “hurtling by means of jail riots, courtroom faceoffs and a variety-show sequence that finds [Joaquin] Phoenix and [Lady] Gaga portraying a homicidal Sonny and Cher” because the Joker and Harley Quinn. In keeping with Phillips, “The objective of this film is to make it really feel prefer it was made by loopy individuals. The inmates are working the asylum.”

The piece moreover confirms Folie à Deux is about “two years after the primary movie,” and follows Arthur Fleck “dealing with the loss of life penalty” in a psych ward after his on-the-air homicide of discuss present host, Murray Franklin. It’s there he meets a fellow affected person, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Gaga), “who’s obsessive about him—or, relatively, his alter ego, Joker. Arthur ditches his treatment and prances right into a fantasy world that always performs just like the MGM musicals of yesteryear on acid.”

The outlet additionally reveals three of the songs the off-their-meds duo will carry out embrace “Get Blissful,” “For As soon as in My Life” and “That’s Life,” noting the Joker is “drawn to romantic ballads,” whereas Harley “prefers music about energy.” Phillips is fast to notice the movie gained’t cease in its tracks to carry out acquainted numbers, although, since “a lot of the music within the film is basically simply dialogue. It’s simply Arthur not having the phrases to say what he needs to say, so he sings them as an alternative.”

Selection’s piece continues to explain Girl Gaga’s all-new, all-different efficiency as Harley Quinn. “The excessive voice, that accent, the gum-chewing and all that type of sassy stuff that’s within the comics, we stripped that away,” in accordance with Phillips. “We wished her to suit into this world of Gotham that we created from the primary film.”

Gaga instructed the commerce, “Todd took a really massive swing with this complete idea and with the script, giving the sequel to Joker this audacity and complexity. There’s music, there’s dance, it’s a drama, it’s additionally a courtroom drama, it’s a comedy, it’s joyful, it’s unhappy. It’s a testomony to [Todd] as a director, that he would relatively be inventive than simply inform a standard story of affection.”

Regardless of probably kicking off a brand new Joker and Harley multi-media franchise, Phillips concludes the interview by stating he (at the moment) has no plans for a follow-up to Folie à Deux: “It was enjoyable to play on this type of sandbox for 2 films, however I feel we’ve stated what we wished to say on this world.”

Joker: Folie à Deux hits theaters October 4.

Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to count on the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every thing it is advisable learn about the way forward for Doctor Who.