With production on the sequel to Joker (2019) now in full swing and much of the cast officially announced, fans have been scrambling for any and all new developments on the project. This newest one may be a bit more off-the-cuff but nonetheless enticing. Per a report from CBR, a photo posted by a user on Reddit has revealed the new working title for Joker 2 to be "Juliet."
A change-up to the film's initial French-inspired title "Folie à Deux," "Juliet" is definitely a more Shakespearean choice, and is nonetheless appropriate in many ways for the musical sequel. "Juliet" is essentially a follow-up to the working title of the first film, which was "Romeo", no doubt a metaphorical moniker for Arthur Fleck/Joker. Meanwhile, "Juliet" is most definitely alluding to Lady Gaga's character Harley Quinn, who will see her formal introduction in this version of their twisted love story. Gaga officially announced her inclusion on the project last summer, and will be the second actress to take on the live-action role of Harley Quinn after Margot Robbie. Coupled with her award-winning acting chops, a comically dark musical couldn't be more up her alley.
The premise of the film so far is an intertwined romantic musical and dark, psychological thriller that revolves primarily around Joker and Harley Quinn and the impassioned, demented chaos that makes up their unstable relationship. As for how the story/lore of Gotham will continue to play out around them, per director Todd Phillips' vision, that remains to be seen. On the production front, principal photography for the film began in December, when also we saw the very first glimpse of Fleck/Joker courtesy of a leak from Phillips himself on Instagram. Alongside Phoenix and Gaga, Zazie Beetz was confirmed to reprise her character Sophie Dumond from the first movie, and Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Catherine Keener (Get Out) were cast as well.
How Will the Rest of Arthur Fleck's Story Play Out?
Todd Phillips had initially said that Joker (2019) was meant as a standalone, self-contained film with absolutely no intention for a sequel. Warner Bros disclosed that the film was to launch "DC Black", which was to be a line of unique DC Comic films that used darker, more experimental material and thus unrelated to the established mainstream DCEU. However, Phillips changed his tune after Joaquin Phoenix's performance blew just about every audience goer and critic away, and said that if Phoenix was still interested that he'd consider it. The actor also disclosed that he would be open to more ideas about where Arthur Fleck's story could go, and thus a musical sequel came to fruition.
It's yet to be seen just how far Fleck/Joker's story will carry on in the upcoming film, if Phillips will leave any open ends, or if he adamantly wants to bring closure to this version of Joker sooner rather than later and leave the rest of Fleck's story to the imagination of the audience. There could definitely be abundant possibilities for how he could further explore and build his own experimental version of Gotham as DC Black intended, but it also could be just as commendable to wrap up what's become a truly genuine rendition of one of DC's most iconic villains in a perfectly preserved package. Audiences will simply have to wait and see what Romeo and Juliet have in store when the film releases October 4th, 2024.