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The Joker: Folie à Deux director has revealed why he turned to Lady Gaga for the role of Harley Quinn. On April 9, Todd Philips, who directed 2019’s Joker, appeared at CinemaCon in Las Vegas to debut the first trailer for the much-anticipated sequel.
Speaking at the event, Philips recalled the film’s early casting process, sharing that he wanted Gaga (real name Stefani Germanotta) to play the famed character “because she’s magic.” He continued, “I was a producer on A Star Is Born … That was the first time I really met her and got to watch her work. As we were writing this script, Scott [Silver], who I wrote it with, kept going back to her.”
The Joker sequel, which arrives in theaters on October 4, stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular DC Comics villain (aka Arthur Fleck) opposite Gaga, who portrays his onscreen love interest Harley Quinn.
Joker 2 Trailer
As a cover of “What the World Needs Now Is Love” plays, the newly-released Joker 2 trailer begins with Joker (Phoenix) and Harley (Gaga) forming a bond inside Arkham Asylum through song and dance. “Let’s get out of here,” Gaga’s character quips before the pair escape the facility and begin a chaotic transformation into their clown-faced alter egos.
Subsequent clips show the couple dancing on a rooftop, walking the stairs of a courthouse past crowds of protestors, a TV variety show titled Joker & Harley, and Joker running through the streets of Gotham City. The trailer ends with the duo sitting on opposite sides of a glass panel, on which Harley draws Joker’s signature red lips.
Many fans, including Gaga’s legion of Little Monsters, were quick to comment on the two-minute teaser. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), one user said they’re here for Gaga’s “humanized version of Harley Quinn,” while another declared her performance “phenomenal.”
“Whoever thought of casting Lady Gaga in a psychological thriller x musical was a genius!” another fan commented. “Joker 2 is literally the movie she was born to star in. Every step in the trajectory of her career has led to this moment.”
