Arthur Fleck will be gaining a partner in crime in Joker: Folie À Deux, aka Joker 2. As has been previously reported, accomplished singer and actress Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born) has boarded the project as Harley Quinn to co-star in the film alongside a returning Joaquin Phoenix. It has also been reported that the sequel will be tonally different from the original Joker in a major way, as it's being developed as a musical.

Joker 2 cinematographer Lawrence Sher recently appeared on The Hollywood Reporter's Behind the Screen podcast and shared a small tease about what fans can expect from the film. While some fans have debated the casting of Gaga, Sher fully supports it, arguing that she is actually perfect for the part. Sher suggests that Gaga will bring something special to the role in very much the same way Phoenix did with his version of the Joker, so putting them together sounds like a recipe for success. From the interview:

“She’s going to be a really cool fit for this movie and will create a similar kind of magic that Joaquin brought by himself. The combination of the two will be exactly what we hope, which is exciting, and we’ll find magic every day on set. Hopefully we’ll also have a bit of madness in there. We like when there is a little bit of chaos.”

Related: Joker 2 Should Be a Musical, and Here's Why

Lady Gaga Has the Endorsement of Another Harley Quinn Performer

Joker 2 Teaser Trailer
Warner Bros. Pictures

You can chalk up Margot Robbie as another supporter of Lady Gaga in the role of Harley Quinn. Famously, Robbie had played Quinn in multiple films in the DCEU, becoming synonymous with the supervillain in many ways. But Robbie is also more than happy to share that role with Gaga, feeling that the character is iconic enough to be able to move along from one "great actor" to another and that Gaga will do something unique with the role. As Robbie told MTV News:

"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 Macbeth or Batman, always gets passed from great actor to great actor. It's kind of like someone gets to do their Batman, or someone gets to do their Macbeth. I feel like, in not so many cases, are they 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."

Todd Phillips is returning to direct the Joker sequel using a screenplay he's co-writing with Scott Silver. Zazie Beetz is also reportedly on board to reprise her role from the first film with new cast members including Brendan Gleeson, Harry Lawtey, Catherine Keener, and Jacob Lofland.

Joker: Folie À Deux is set to be released in movie theaters on Oct. 4, 2024.