‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Trailer: Please Don’t Stop The Music

If music be the food of love, joke on. The trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux has arrived—and this time around, Joaquin Phoenix‘s deranged stand-up comedian and future Batman nemesis Arthur Fleck has a song in his heart. Apparently, that’s thanks to new love interest Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga.

The trailer for Todd Phillips‘s highly anticipated Joker sequel finds Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck and Gaga’s Harley Quinn inside Arkham Asylum, where Fleck was committed at the end of the first film. The trailer begins with Fleck being released from his cell and escorted down the hallway, where he catches the eye of Harley in the midst of choir rehearsal. “We use music to make us whole,” says an anonymous man in voice over. “To balance the fractures in ourselves.” We eventually meet Harley Quinn, who clearly is a fan of the anarchist Arthur Fleck. “I’m nobody. I haven’t done anything with my life like you have,” she tells the Joker as she mimes shooting herself in the head.

Earlier this year, rumors swirled that Joker: Folie à Deux would be a “jukebox musical,” and would include performances of twenty or so popular songs from various genres. At CinemaCon this week, Phillips said that this characterization is not entirely accurate, though he did confirm that there would be plenty of song and dance numbers in the film. “I like to say it’s a movie where music is an essential element,” said Phillips. “It doesn’t veer too far from the first film. Arthur has music in him. He has a grace to him.”

Music has always been a part of Joker‘s DNA. In 2019, Joker was nominated for 11 Oscars and won two trophies: a best actor trophy for Phoneix‘s portrayal of Arthur Fleck as well as best original score for composer Hildur Gudnadottir. The film also made sweet music at the box office, becoming the highest-earning R-rated movie of all time when it grossed $1.07 billion worldwide. “We loved the character of Arthur too much, but we didn’t want to jinx the [original] movie,” Phillips said about the sequel. “We cast Gaga simply because she’s magic.” Besides being one of the world’s biggest pop stars, Gaga is an Oscar winner as well, taking home the trophy for best original song for writing “Shallow” from A Star Is Born in 2019.

As the trailer continues, Harley Quinn has the bright idea of breaking free and taking Gotham by storm. “Let’s get out of here,” she whispers to Fleck. We then see a chaotic montage of Harley Quinn and Arthur Fleck performing glitzy musical numbers from various eras as they wreak untold havoc on the city of Gotham, all curiously set to a cover of “What The World Needs Now Is Love.”

“I’ll tell you what’s changed,” Fleck shouts at the end of the trailer. “I’m not alone anymore. That’s what we should be talking about.” Now, that’s entertainment.

Joker: Folie à Deux hits theaters on October, 4 2024.