The release date for Joker 2 has been revealed. Officially titled Joker: Folie A Deux, the film will continue the story of Joaquin Phoenix's iteration of the iconic Batman villain. While the DCEU has expanded over the years, Warner Bros. has also started to launch branching DC projects that exist outside the main franchise. Inspired loosely by the Elseworlds/DC Black Label concept, one of the first standalone films was Joker, a unique reimagining of Batman's nemesis that was released in 2019.
Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, followed the life of Arthur Fleck, a Gotham City man living with mental health issues who slowly goes down the villainous path that will lead him to don the infamous Clown Prince of Crime's makeup. Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker became a global box office success with $1.074 billion, but the film's success went beyond its box office haul. Joker earned several Oscar nominations, with Phoenix going on to win Best Actor for his performance as the DC villain. Phillips recently confirmed Joker 2's official title shortly before news broke that Lady Gaga would be starring in the sequel as Harley Quinn. It was also reported that the sequel could be a musical.
Now, Joker: Folie A Deux has finally landed a release date. As reported by Deadline, Warner Bros. has slated Joker: Folie A Deux for October 4, 2024, and production is reportedly going to commence this December. Phillips is once again attached to helm the sequel, which he co-wrote with Scott Silver, who penned the screenplay for the first Joker movie. Other than Phoenix as Joker and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, no other cast members have been confirmed thus far.
Even though Joker: Folie A Deux is two years out from hitting theaters, it's lining up for not only awards season but also with the first film's original release date. Joker debuted on October 4, 2019, making the sequel's release date more than fitting. Given that principal photography is reportedly beginning this December, more details on Joker: Folie A Deux are bound to arrive throughout the fall. It's unclear if New York City will be used again for Joker's Gotham City for production.
The timing of the announcement for Joker: Folie A Deux is interesting - it comes less than 24 hours after Warner Bros. cancelled the Batgirl movie, which had already finished filming. Whether or not the studio unveiled the date as damage control about the Batgirl film remains to be seen, but the optics are not good as the studio continues to face controversy. With Warner Bros. Discovery set to be holding their quarterly earnings this week, it's possible more news on Joker: Folie A Deux will emerge there.
Source: Deadline