Following yesterday's rumor, Warner Bros. has confirmed that the first official trailer for the highly-anticipated Joker: Folie à Deux will debut next Tuesday during the studio's annual CinemaCon presentation, where it's highly probable that the film's 4x Academy Award-director Todd Phillips will be in attendance.
The upcoming psychological thriller sees Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator; Walk the Line) reprise his Academy Award-winning role as Arthur Fleck, a.k.a. the Joker, and will subvert expectations by sending the iconic DC villain on what's being described as a musical adventure, which we're going to learn a lot more about next week.
Joining him on his second adventure is fellow Academy Award-winner Lady Gaga (A Star is Born; House of Gucci), who will step into the role of the Joker's psychologist-turned-paramour Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a.k.a. Harley Quinn. Set photos have already revealed that she'll be sporting several colorful looks in the film, so expect their whirlwind romance to kick off with a bang.
In addition to Phoenix and Gaga, Primetime Emmy-nominee Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2; Atlanta) will also reprise her role as Sophie Dumond, while the supporting cast consists of Academy Award-nominee Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin; Edge of Tomorrow), 2x Academy Award-nominee Catherine Keener (The 40-Year-Old Virgin; The Adam Project), Jacob Lofland (The Son; Maze Runner: The Death Cure), Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder; Philomena), Ken Leung (Rush Hour; Old), Harry Lawtey (Industry; The Pale Blue Eye), Leigh Gill (Joker; Game of Thrones) and Sharon Washington (Joker; Michael Clayton).
Unlike the previous installment, which was made on a modest $70 million production budget, the second chapter will boast a considerably higher price tag as it reportedly cost around $200 million to make. Considering the first film grossed over $1.079 billion at the global box office, it seems as though the studio is extremely bullish on the sequel possibly reaching the same heights, or completely surpassing them.
As per new DC Studios head James Gunn, Joker: Folie à Deux will not be part of his soon-to-be-launched DC Universe, but will instead be an "Elseworlds" project, along with Matt Reeves' ongoing The Batman series.
Warner Bros. presentation runs from 4 PM to 6PM PST on April 9th, so the trailer should be available to view online sometime during that time frame, if not, immediately after the presentation concludes. We'll have it here on ComicBookMovie shortly thereafter, so be sure to check in and join the discussion!
Check out the official poster below:
Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's part of the world around him. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.