Joker: Folie à deux Rumors Soar as Lady Gaga Puts on Her ‘Joker Face’

Pop star and Academy Award winner Lady Gaga is reportedly in talks to join the cast of Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à deux, the anticipated sequel to his 2019 hit film.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Joker gave a more sympathetic portrayal of the man behind the makeup, which might remind some of Alan Moore’s “Killing Joke” comic. In the film, Arthur Fleck is a hapless clown-for-hire, failed by the system at nearly every turn. The film was polarizing upon its release, particularly regarding its portrayal of those struggling with their mental health, but the film was nevertheless a critical and commercial hit. At more than $1 billion in revenue, Joker has become the highest grossing R-rated film of all time (this could perhaps change if James Cameron adds some adult content to his Avatar sequels, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves).

If you’re tilting your head at the choice of Lady Gaga to star in this film (though we’re not sure why you’d be doing that), it was also recently announced that Joker: Folie à deux will actually be a musical film. Naturally, this reveal has divided many online on whether that was an act of genius or madness (and really, isn’t that just fitting for a movie about the Joker?). Oh, and if you’re wondering what’s up with that title, it derives from a medical term. Folie à deux - also known as shared psychosis - is a psychiatric syndrome which is shared by two people. While those two people usually end up being family members, it’s no stretch to imagine that the term applies to Harley Quinn and the Joker.

As for Gaga, she appears to be in line for the role of Harley Quinn. She will allegedly cross paths with Arthur Fleck when she becomes his psychiatrist in Arkham Asylum. Batman fans will no doubt have a few ideas on how that relationship will go, and they’ll have plenty of time to debate whether such a relationship can work when it’s being belted out in song.