The first trailer for the sequel to the Oscar-winning psychological thriller “Joker,” based on one of the world’s best known comic book villains, dropped on Wednesday.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” sees Joaquin Phoenix reprising his role as the title character, which earned him the Academy Award as best actor in the original 2019 film depicting an origin story for the arch enemy of DC Comics’ superhero Batman.
Reported by film website Variety in March to be a musical with at least 15 cover tracks, the trailer shows Joker and co-conspirator Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga, meeting in a secure facility then performing on stage, with Joker telling actor Steve Coogan’s character that what has changed this time around is he is “not alone anymore.”
The 2019 film, which was Oscar-nominated in the best film category and won for best original score as well as for best lead actor, was directed and produced by Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the script with Scott Silver.
The story charted the psychological descent of the film’s protagonist, a failed party clown and wannabe comedian Arthur Fleck, and the social forces that transformed him from a dejected loner into a cold-blooded killer who inspires a wave of violence in the fictional metropolis of Gotham City.
The sequel is scheduled to run in US and UK cinemas on October 4 this year.
