Joker: Folie à Deux is one of the most anticipated sequels to recently get the green signal. While it marks the return of Joaquin Phoenix as Joker, the movie will bring in Lady Gaga to play Harley Quinn.
Joker 2 is going to be a musical.
The singer-turned-actress will be receiving a salary of USD 10 million for the film, reported Variety. While it is a hefty sum, Joaquin Phoenix will be getting USD 20 million (a big hike from his salary for the first film, USD 4.5 million). Director Todd Philips is also getting paid USD 20 million.
The 2019 film had become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time with a global box office with a total of USD 1.07 billion. The production budget for the film is speculated to be USD 150 million. The first film had a budget of USD 55-70 million.
After cancelling Batgirl, Warner Bros are banking a lot of their hope on Joker 2. The increased budget is on account of "complicated musical sequences".
It is unclear whether German American actress Zazie Beetz will return for the sequel. She played Sophie Dumond, Arthur Fleck aka Joker's imagined love interest in the first film. She is his neighbour and a single mom struggling to survive.
The sequel will be released in the US on October 4, 2024.