The sequel to 2019’s Oscar-winning Joker is slated for release on October 4, 2024. Deadline reported the news on Thursday, and director Todd Phillips confirmed the release date in a Instagram post. Joaquin Phoenix, who won the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of the character in the first film, returns, and Lady Gaga will join the cast.
The Instagram post doesn’t reveal who Gaga might play, but one potential role would be Joker’s longtime partner Harley Quinn (previously played by Margot Robbie in the DCEU). However, the film is rumored to incorporate more musical elements, which would make Gaga a logical fit. Phillips previously shared on Instagram that the sequel was moving forward in June under the title Joker: Folie à Deux, which literally translates to “madness for two.”
Although Joker was originally intended as a standalone film, its success at the box office and at the Academy Awards (where it received 11 nominations, including Best Picture) made a sequel a obvious choice This is especially the case given the bumpy performance of Warner Bros. films. based on DC Comics titles. While this year’s The Batman was widely considered a success (with a quickly lit sequel), Ezra Miller’s solo outing as The Flash has been mired in difficulties and the year’s The Suicide Squad past failed at the box office.
Production on the Joker sequel will begin in December, Deadline reports.
Update Aug. 4, 12:29 p.m. ET: The film’s release date and Lady Gaga’s casting have been confirmed.