In the upcoming Warner Bros. and DC film Joker: Folie à Deux, Zazie Beetz is in discussions to reprise her role as the Joker. Production on the film, directed by Todd Phillips, will kick up in the month of December, with an October 4, 2024 release date planned. According to Deadline, the Emmy Award nominee will reprise her role as Sophie Dumond in the critically acclaimed 2019 thriller Joker. Sophie is the single mother making her way in Gotham City, and she has the misfortune of being next door neighbour to Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), who is obsessed with her. Joker: Folie à Deux is reported to be a musical, and Lady Gaga has stated on social media that she will be a part of the cast.
The news that the Oscar winner would reprise her role as the Joker’s girlfriend Harley Quinn has set Hollywood alight. Apparently, the iconic Arkham Asylum will play host to Philips’s next Joker film, Folie à Deux. While the sequel’s narrative is being kept under wraps for the time being, fans may get a sense of what to anticipate from the title. Because the film is based on the same premise as the comics, its title, “Folie à Deux,” a French word meaning “shared lunacy by two individuals in intimate connection,” is a clue that the film would follow a similar path. The 2019 film introduced Phoenix as the new version of the iconic DC villain, and the sequel will follow his character—a struggling comic trying to make it big—as he continues his downward slide. After its first release, Joker was met with widespread praise, spawned a cult-like fan base, and went on to win 2 Academy Awards (Best Original Score and Best Actor, both for Phoenix).
With $1.07 billion at the worldwide box office, the original Joker is also the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. Recently, Beetz co-starred with Brad Pitt in the box office smash Bullet Train, which debuted at no 1 and went on to gross over $60 million worldwide. And for her work in the third season of the Donald Glover-created FX series Atlanta, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy as a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
The fourth and final season of the critically acclaimed series Atlanta premieres in September, marking the end of her stint as Van. She also recently wrapped filming on an episode of Black Mirror’s upcoming sixth season, which she revealed to Deadline fans can look forward to seeing soon. While we haven’t seen a poster or teaser for the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux sequel just yet, the critically acclaimed 2019 film Joker is now streaming on HBO Max.