Lady Gaga is in early talks to star opposite Joaquin Phoenix in director Todd Phillips' sequel to "Joker," which is set to be a musical, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
As the outlet noted, Phillips has been working with "Joker" co-writer Scott Silver to complete the script and last week finally revealed on Instagram the title of the new film — "Joker: Folie à deux" — which is in reference to the medical term for an identical or similar mental disorder that affects two or more individuals.
And while very little is known about the plot, other details about the film are slowly emerging. Most notably, that Lady Gaga is in talks to appear in the highly anticipated sequel and, according to Deadline, will be portraying Harley Quinn, the Joker's psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who falls in love with him and becomes his sidekick.
It is important to note that this Quinn will exist in a different DC universe to the one that Margot Robbie portrayed in "The Suicide Squad." It is also said that Phoenix is yet to sign a deal with Warner Bros to reprise his role as Joker but that both sides are in deep talks.
When "Joker" was first made, it was far from a sure thing. In a world dominated by the slick, action-packed Marvel Universe, "Joker" was a dark and gritty story of a villain's descent into madness. It was only budgeted at $60 million but instead clinched a record-breaking opening weekend in October 2019.
"Joker" ultimately ended its theatrical run as the fourth highest-grossing R-rated film of all time and earned 11 Oscar nominations and won best actor (for Phoenix) and best score (Hildur Guonadottir).
Philips previously produced "A Star Is Born," a 2018 musical romantic drama starring Lady Gaga and "Joker" producer Bradley Cooper. Lady Gaga most recently co-starred in "House of Gucci."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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