Lady Gaga steps out as Harley Quinn in Joker 2 set photos

The Joker is back – and he’s got company.

Lady Gaga, previously announced to be teaming up with Joaquin Phoenix in the 2019 sequel joker, has taken her first step as the film’s more grounded take on Harley Quinn. Of Joker: Folie à Deux currently shooting in New York City and Newark, New Jersey, it was only a matter of time before the pair were seen in costume and character. Gaga did not disappoint.

Although the DC movie universe has undergone a radical shift since then jokerWith the Zack Snyder-produced ‘DCEU’ films taking the backseat to a new shared universe spearheaded by James Gunn, a theoretical sequel to Todd Phillips’ lightning-fast R-rated spin on the Batman villain has always been a dream for Warner Bros. . and the director. But would star Phoenix, who won an Oscar for his turn as the deranged Arthur Fleck, return for joker 2? How could Phillips continue such a grounded take on the comic book material? Would a rebooted DCU support it?

The answer to all questions was: Yes, as long as it gets weird. And they get weird.

Photo: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images

Not only will Joker: Folie à deux go back to Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck after his anarchist outburst at the end of the first joker, but Phillips has teased that the sequel is actually a full-fledged musical. While Margot Robbie successfully brought Harley Quinn to live action in Suicide Squad And Birds of prey, Gaga steps in to put a new spin on Joker’s romantic interest, using the pipes to tie in all the hallucinatory musical elements Phillips brought to the table. And none of that will be beholden to what Gunn and his associates are cooking up elsewhere in the DCU; the film is officially classified as an “Elseworlds” project, set out of continuity.

Little else is known about the plot of joker 2, but based on set photos, Gaga’s Harley has her fans in the form of a crowd of protesters, who are there to show support as she’s walked into the courthouse by police. An earlier close-up character reveal shared by Phillips on Instagram on Valentine’s Day saw a pre-Jokerized version of the character — more like a Harleen Frances Quinzel rather than a full-fledged Harley Quinn — but here we see her with makeup and wires that complete the leak.

Photo: Gotham/GC Images/Getty Images

Joker: Folie à deux will hit theaters on October 4, 2024.