A first look of Joaquin Phoenix from the upcoming movie Joker: Folie à Deux has been released by director Todd Phillips. The movie is a follow-up to his 2019 smash blockbuster Joker, for which he received several Oscar nominations and even won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck.
Todd wrote on Instagram, “Day 1. Our boy. #joker.”
The image showed Arthur shaving, most likely while jailed. As an unidentified individual gives him a shave, he is lying shirtless, looking skinnier than ever before, and having shaving foam on his face.
After the photo's release, fans were left ecstatic, but many also yearned to see Lady Gaga. She portrays Harley Quinn in the film, but her appearance has not yet been made public.
According to reports, a portion of the movie takes place in Arkham Asylum, the hospital that hosts a number of Batman's antagonists in the comic books. For the new project, Todd and Joaquin are back in their original positions. Scott Silver and Todd are both contributing to the screenplay.
Along with them, Catherine Keener and Brendan Gleeson complete the cast of the upcoming film. Joker: Folie a Deux will debut on October 4, 2024, according to studio Warner Bros.
Margot Robbie, who has portrayed Harley Quinn in several DC films, recently endorsed Gaga.
Also read: Joker 2: Todd Phillips teases Joaquin Phoenix's return in sequel titled Joker: Folie a Deux
"It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning that all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters the way...like Macbeth or Batman always gets passed from great actor to great actor," she told MTV News in a video interview. "Someone gets to do their Batman, or someone gets to do their Macbeth."
She added, "I feel like, in not so many cases, are there female characters - Queen Elizabeth I, but beyond that, which I got to have a crack out as well, which I was honored to do. I was like, 'Wow! Cate Blanchett did Queen Elizabeth I. Now I get to.' It's such an honor to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters that other actors get to have a go at playing. And I think she'll do something incredible with it."
