Fans finally got their first look at Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix in the teaser for Joker: Folie à Deux, and it did not disappoint.
The closing glimpse of the trailer is particularly exciting for fans of the musical sequel.
The 38-year-old Just Dance hitmaker asks Joaquin the Joker for the’real’ him behind a glass screen.
He then looks up and grins, perfectly matching it with a convenient red mark on the glass, creating the classic menacing grin with red joker lipstick for the camera. Shudder.
‘This shot from the joker trailer is one of the coolest things ever. Real cinema is back baby,’ wrote fan @kirawontmiss on X, while YouTube commenter @Sforce1975 said: ‘Who ever came up with the idea of the glass lipstick smile deserves a pay raise… It was just perfect.’
‘That final shot with the lipstick was INCREDIBLE,’ agreed @EthanHarket, while @ilknurKenan said: ‘That glass lipstick smile was crazy in an already goosebump trailer.’
Others were simply buzzing at the whole trailer, which sees Gaga and Joaquin in a sinister La La Land underworld of ‘joint madness’ (the meaning of Folie à Deux).
‘JOKER 2 JUST BECAME AN INSTANT MOVIE OF THE YEAR,’ shouted @babyloniaan, while @kamkenobi raved: ‘Todd Phillips just casually dropped the best live-action Joker look of all time.’
Many were thrilled with Joaquin Phoenix’s repeating performance, while others enjoyed the film’s musical element – and the presence of pop megastar Lady Gaga has sparked discussion.
‘Joker 2 audiences being divided into hardcore comic fans and Lady Gaga fans,’ joked @notgwendalupe.
Gaga, an Oscar contender, will play Harley alongside Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, also known as the Joker, in the musical sequel to the 2019 Oscar-winning film.
Barbie star Margot Robbie previously portrayed Harley in the films Suicide Squad, 2021’s The Suicide Squad, and Birds of Prey, against Jared Leto’s controversial version of the Joker in the first.
Folie à Deux is slated to enter cinemas in October. The original picture produced more than $1 billion (£789 million) at the box office, making it the most successful R-rated film ever filmed.
Much of the narrative had been kept under wraps until the film’s debut teaser, which was revealed on Tuesday by Warner Bros. on X.
Trailer Tonight. 6:30pm PT. #JokerMovie pic.twitter.com/kKbceDG0Qb
— Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) April 9, 2024
The studio published a clip of Phoenix’s Fleck crying and laughing in the pouring rain, as they announced the exact time of the film’s trailer.
‘Trailer Tonight. 6:30pm PT. #JokerMovie,’ the post revealed, confirming the expectation that the trailer would drop after it was exclusively shown to attendees at Warner Bros’ CinemaCon panel.
However, it had previously been reported that it was more of a jukebox musical affair, with at least 15 cover songs, according to Variety, including That’s Entertainment from 1953 musical The Band Wagon, which Judy Garland was also known for singing.
The other tunes are said to be ‘very well-known songs’.
Zazie Beatz will reprise her role as Sophie, Arthur’s neighbour, in the sequel, which also stars Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Ken Leung, and Industry sensation Harry Lawtey.
Gaga, actual name Stefani Germanotta, reportedly went to considerable measures to be in character on set.
The film’s cinematographer has stated that the Born This Way hitmaker insisted on being referred to as ‘Lee’ on set in order to maintain the appropriate attitude.
Sher, who didn’t know Gaga prior, said it ‘felt like I never even met her, even during the makeup/hair tests‘ as he recalled a week of feeling like they were ‘disconnecting‘ and ‘on opposites‘.
‘And I would say to my crew, “Jesus, I can’t crack it. She either hates me or we hate each other. There’s something weird going on here.”‘
Sher, who also worked as a cinematographer on the first Joker picture, stated that solving the mystery led to a relationship with the actor.
‘I barely said anything, except I would say, “Stefani, this is where your second team was,” minor little things, and then the AD at one point said, “Oh you know, Stef would like if you just called her Lee on set,’” Sher told The Trenches Talk podcast.
‘And I was like, “100%.” The next thing I said was something “Lee,” and it was like everything changed. From that point on, it was like she was… Our whole connection changed. I was like, alright, cool.’
Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled for release in cinemas on October 4, 2024.
Source My Celebrity Life.