The first Joker movie came out in 2019 and made over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office. It was nominated for 11 Oscars and won two of them, including Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix, and now the trailer for its sequel was just released. So, here are all the tiny details and Easter eggs you may have missed, including everything else we know about the movie so far.
1.
First of all, this sequel is going to be a musical, and there will apparently be at least 15 covers of famous songs integrated throughout it. An early version of the film was described as “mostly a jukebox musical,” so think of this in terms of, like, Mamma Mia! or Pitch Perfect where already-hit songs will be sung.
2.
There’s speculation that all of these songs will revolve around older show tunes, but we’ll most likely be getting one or two original songs as well. One song that’s expected to appear in the movie is “That’s Entertainment!” from Vincente Minnelli’s 1953 musical The Band Wagon. Also, the sequel’s trailer used a cover of Jackie DeShannon’s 1965 song “What the World Needs Now Is Love.”
3.
The title of the film, Joker: Folie à Deux, is obviously French, which translates to “folly of two” (or “madness of two”). This is a psychiatric disorder about shared delusion, which clearly references the mental states of both Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker and Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn.
4.
We know in the first movie that Arthur Fleck saw reality in a way that wasn’t true, so I think that’s how a lot of the musical numbers will be integrated into this sequel, like they’re just appearing in his and Harley Quinn’s own heads. For example, the trailer quickly cut from the two dancing in black-tie attire (i.e. in their heads) to them dancing in the street as an ambulance drives by (i.e. in reality).
5.
This is also evident in the beginning of the trailer when Brendan Gleeson’s character (who we don’t have a name for yet, but he’ll definitely play a big part in the movie) escorts Arthur through Arkham Asylum. We can see that the umbrellas are clearly black, but when Arthur looks up, they all change colors.
6.
That specific shot is also a nod to the opening title sequence of the 1964 French musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Don’t forget, this sequel is going to be a musical!
7.
All of the other song and dance numbers (again, these are most likely hallucinations in their heads) take place on massive sound stages. Those giant sets — like the image below, which seems to feature Harley in a wedding dress and veil as she runs down the church aisle toward the Joker — are a nod to other Old Hollywood musicals, like Singin’ in the Rain.
8.
Most of the setting for this movie takes place at Arkham Asylum where Joker and Harley first meet, but Harley’s origin story is kind of open-ended in this trailer.
9.
In the other DC properties, Harley is introduced as Joker’s former psychiatrist from the asylum. However, here, it’s unclear who she is exactly. She could be a fellow patient (or maybe even a music therapist?) who helps him break out. After all, it looks like music is being used as a form of therapy for everyone, which could be another seamless way for song and dance numbers to be integrated into the movie.
10.
It’s also important to note that Gaga’s Harley mimics a lot of what Joaquin’s Joker did in the first movie. For example, upon first meeting Arthur at Arkham, Harley makes this finger-gun motion with her hand. That’s the same thing Arthur did when Sophie (Zazie Beetz) found him in her apartment in the original film.
11.
Harley can also be seen walking up the iconic stairs that Arthur danced on in the first movie.
12.
And both of them do this famous leg kick while on the courthouse steps, which is a nod to Arthur’s dance in the first film, too. Notice that someone in the crowd is holding a newspaper with a photo of the Joker’s face on it and a headline that reads “Free On All Charges.”
13.
So this all leaves me with one important question: Will this movie flip the script with the two characters? Like, normally, the Joker is in charge and controls Harley Quinn, but I have a feeling she’s going to be the one manipulating him in this movie. For example, she’s the one who’s “free” and is visiting him in prison during this shot from the trailer.
14.
And in another brief shot, Harley is the one who’s putting on the Joker’s makeup for him, which is a clear example of her taking charge in their relationship, sort of like he’s her puppet.
15.
But if you need any more convincing, there’s also a quick cut to her holding a gun and pointing it at the Joker. So, like, yeah, it sounds like she clearly wants to take charge and will use him for whatever plan she has.
16.
After all, the trailer ends with an incredible shot of Harley drawing a lipstick smile on the glass partition — another example of Arthur being trapped but Harley being free — and telling Arthur that she “wants to see the real him,” which causes him to move into frame and smile.
The movie will be released on Oct. 4, 2024, and you can watch the trailer for yourself below, but be sure to let us know your own thoughts and theories in the comments!
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