Todd Phillips sparked a lot of interest in Joker sequel, Joker: Folie a Deux, over the weekend after sharing a first look at Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck from the movie. Of course, we have seen Phoenix’s title character before, so what everyone wanted to know was when we will get a first look at the other half of the dance; Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. Phillips has now followed up on the huge number of requests he has had asking about that very thing, but fans will have a little wait to see Lady G make her first appearance.

A Joker sequel has been in development from the minute the original movie became the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time back in 2019. However, it was only earlier this year that the official announcement was made that Phoenix would be back again as one of the darkest Jokers ever put on screen, and he would not be coming alone. Further details revealed that the movie would be more musically orientated this time around and would see Lady Gaga taking on the role of Harley Quinn. For the many wondering when they will be able to get a first glimpse of the latest iteration of the character, Todd Phillips has given a slightly disappointing update via his Instagram. He said:

“Getting a lot of these messages in my DMs. And on here. Sorry to say that LG does not start with us until after the new year. So it’s gonna be a bit.”

How Will Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn Be Different From Other Iterations?

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Joker did for the Clown Prince of Gotham what The Batman has done for the Dark Knight. Unlike the over-the-top comic book performance of Jack Nicholson in 1989’s Batman, or even the grittier Heath Ledger take in The Dark Knight, Joker disbanded with any fantasy elements of the DC franchise and grounded the character as a deeply disturbed individual who’s delusions are what make him a dangerous man to be around. Phoenix described playing the role as:

This means that Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn will not be the baton-twirling, kick-ass anti-hero Margot Robbie plays, but will be similar in tone to Phoenix’s Fleck. With rumors suggesting that the movie will be pulling its musicality from focusing on Quinn’s perspective of events in the film, this could mean that both Phoenix and Gaga could certainly find themselves on the list of Oscar nominees. This is something that both actors are used to, with Phoenix having won a Best Actor award for his original performance, while Lady Gaga was nominated for Best Actress for A Star Is Born and picked up Best Song for “Shallow” from that movie. Joker: Folie a Deux is released in October 2024, but expect to see more behind the scenes images sometime early next year.

“It couldn’t just be this wild and crazy movie about the Clown Prince of Crime. It would have to have some thematic resonance in a similar way that [the original] does. Because I think that’s ultimately why the movie connected, it’s what’s going on underneath. So many movies are about the spark, and this is about the powder. If you could capture that again in a real way, that would be interesting.”