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American songstress Lady Gaga is in talks to join Joker's forthcoming sequel, Joker: Folie à deux, alongside Joaquin Phoenix.
Variety reports that on June 7, Todd Phillips, director of Joker, uploaded the script cover on Instagram, sparking speculation that Harley Quinn will feature in the film, which also happens to be a musical.
The subtitle, Folie à Deux, refers to a shared delusional illness, and Joker's only actual partner — aside from Batman — has been Quinn, a character initially conceived for Batman: The Animated Series in the early 1990s.
The character of Harley Quinn was initially played by Margot Robbie, who appeared in DC's Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey.
Fans have a mixed reaction to Lady Gaga's role as Harley Quinn
Several fans took to Twitter to express their excitement about Gaga starring as Harley Quinn in the upcoming sequel of Joker. The Poker Face singer's supporters also hailed the film for having an LGBTQ representation in one of its lead characters.
Some fans rejoiced as they might see Gaga and Phoenix singing and dancing along together in the upcoming musical.
While several others were not convinced with the idea of Lady Gaga replacing Margot Robbie for the iconic role or even Joker 2 being a musical.
More about Joker: Folie à deux
Details of Lady Gaga's character are being hidden, but the Joker is notorious for his on-again, off-again violent relationship with Harley Quinn, his psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, who falls in love with him and becomes his sidekick and partner in crime.
It's unknown if Phillips and crew would use other DC characters or strike out, as they did in many situations in their debut film.
Making Joker 2, a musical is another bold decision by Phillips, who struck success — both at the film office (with $1 billion in worldwide grosses) and at the Oscars (with 12 nominations and two wins) — when he recast the Dark Knight's number one villain as a lonely anti-hero.
Joaquin Phoenix won the best actor for portraying the Joker, alias Arthur Fleck. He is anticipated to reprise his role, however, his contract has not yet been finalized.
Harley Quinn has proven to be a long-lasting figure for Warner Bros. Margot Robbie has performed the part three times, in 2016's Suicide Squad, 2020's Birds of Prey, and 2021's The Suicide Squad, while Kaley Cuoco voices the character on the popular HBO Max animated series Harley Quinn, which is due to air Season 3 later this year.
Phillips' Joker films, on the other hand, operate in a different fictional world from the rest of DC's production, much as how Robert Pattinson's The Batman can coexist with Michael Keaton's version of the character.
