Shooting the long-awaited Joker sequel, titled Joker: Foley à Deux, which translates from French to English as “Madness For Two,” and is now in its fourth month.
On Saturday, director and co-writer Todd Phillips seemed to be devoting much of his attention to casting newcomer, Lady Gaga, for a scene along the famous New York City staircase that originally took place.
The pair seemed to be in deep conversation about what was involved in the scene at hand, as they walked down those steps with crew members following closely behind.
At one point, Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta), 37, flashed a big bright smile as she wore a black furry trench coat over a black polka dot dress, matching shoes and socks, her blonde locks long and a little messy.
Then they stopped briefly at one of the open drop-offs along the stairs so Phillips could point something at the star.
Round two: Lady Gaga, 37, and director Todd Phillips, 52, discuss filming a scene along the iconic staircase made famous in 2019’s Joker for the sequel, which has been filming in New York City since December
Phillips and Gaga continued up the stairs as they shared their opinions on what was required for daily functioning.
Once their conversation was over, the director made his way to the large camera stand set up at the bottom of the stairs, while the singer-turned-actress turned and made several flights to the scene marker.
Once Gaga had her place in the spotlight, she turned around and gave a thumbs up towards the admiring paparazzi, as well as the cast of the film below.
Eventually, Phillips yelled, “Action,” and began walking slowly down the stairs to a scene that didn’t appear to involve any of her co-stars or extras.
For the sequel, Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as Arthur Fleck / Joker, a mentally ill, impoverished party clown and stand-up comedian ignored by society, whose history of abuse leads him to become a nihilistic criminal with a clown motif.
Lady Gaga plays Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn, a psychiatrist who falls in love with Arthur.
Zazie Beetz also returns as Sophie Dumond, a cynical single mother whom Arthur fantasizes about as his love interest, but in reality, they met once.
Folie à Deux’s cast also includes the likes of Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Harry Lawtey, among others.
Collaboration: The pair seemed to be in deep conversation about what the scene at hand entailed, as they walked down those steps with the crew members following behind them.
FLAWLIGHT MOMENT: At one point, Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) flashed a big bright smile as she wore a furry black trench coat over a black polka-dot dress.
Standing Up: Once their conversation ended, the director made his way to the big set, while the singer-turned-actress headed several flights over to the set.
Ready to shine: The A Star Is Born actress looked focused as she waited for Phillips to shout, “Action” to kick off today’s scene
All the best: Gaga gave a thumbs up when she reached for her pen
It’s performance time: Finally, Phillips yells, “Action,” and begins walking slowly down the stairs for a scene that doesn’t appear to involve any co-stars or extras.
Set in 1981, the first is about Arthur Fleck, a failed clown and aspiring comedian whose descent into mental illness and nihilism leads to a violent countercultural revolution against the wealthy in a decadent Gotham City.
The original film, Joker, made its world premiere at the 76th Venice International Film Festival in August 2019, receiving an eight-minute standing ovation from the audience, and then winning the Golden Lion, the highest award given. For a film at the festival in Italy.
Joker was a hit with both critics and fans, grossing an impressive $1.074 billion at the worldwide box office.
Originally slated to be a standalone film, the massive success of Joker has sparked talk of a sequel, which goes into development in early 2021.
As a result of the first film’s commercial success, Phoenix’s salary increased from $4.5 million to $20 million for the sequel.
Phillips previously stated that he would be interested in doing a sequel, depending on the film’s performance and Phoenix’s interest.
In the end, all parties involved were in favor of continuing with the story, except that this one is only being described as a musical psychological thriller.
Principal photography for Joker 2 began on December 10, 2022, which Phillips tagged by sharing a preliminary photo on his Instagram page.
Day 1: Philips celebrated the first day of filming on December 10, 2022 with a photo of the film’s leading man, Joaquin Phoenix, lying down to shave.
Trailer Mode: The director shared behind-the-scenes photos, which included a photo of the script
Taking it all inside: The director also posted a photo of Phoenix reading the script while smoking a cigarette
Lovers’ Day: On Valentine’s Day, Phillips shared a photo of Gaga and Phoenix in character as a couple in love from the sequel
The promotional batch also featured outlines of Arthur Fleck / Joker and Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn
Coming: Joker: Folie à Deux is set to hit theaters October 4, 2024
The photo showed Phoenix as Fleck, lying down while his face was shaved, with the caption: ‘Day 1. Our boy. #clown.’
He was following up by sharing other photos of Phoenix and Lady Gaga on social media, which included a Valentine’s Day post of the two stars staring intensely into each other’s eyes with the caption: “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled to hit theaters on October 4, 2024.