So after much speculation, the first teaser trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux has finally been showcased to the world. And man, this could very well be the musical event of the year full of madness, mayhem and mad love between two wayward souls trying to find their place in the world.
Starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck (aka The Joker) and Lady Gaga as Dr. Harleen Quinzel (aka Harley Quinn), both characters are set in an alternative 1970’s version of Batman’s Gotham City that’s more akin to Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy than the one that audiences are more used to on the silver screen. Together, they begin a relationship of love, passion, jealousy, murder, mayhem and madness as they try to escape Arkham Asylum and forge their own path forward through their love and their destructive tendencies. But will their love for one another unite them…or tear them apart?
A lot of details are finally coming to light in terms of what has been happening to Mr. Fleck after the events of the first Joker movie, which both films now rebranded under “DC’s Elseworld” film series that takes place outside of the new DC Cinematic Universe that James Gunn is heading with Superman (2025). We can see that Fleck’s been locked up in this version of Arkham Asylum, trying to get by when he finally catches the eye of Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn, who is with a group of singers. It seems that Harley in this story is already an inmate in Arkham or possibly just visiting. It’s still unclear what her circumstance is. But it does appear in the trailer that she tries to use Gotham’s corrupt legal system to help get Fleck released via a mass protest and championing him as a victim of Gotham’s broken social system, helping to build up from the prior film how society failed to help him when he needed it most due to Gotham’s poor and broken social support structure that led Arthur Fleck to become The Joker.
The trailer emphases the importance of how music completes us as people. And in a way, we can see that both of these people may very well be looking to find the one piece that they themselves are missing. And with a musical format to guide the story, I can see from the teaser trailer that we are going to feel some incredible highs and downright lows that will help to elevate this film in ways that we may not have expected. Especially from the twisted and tragic relationship of The Joker and Harley Quinn’s previously established by Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series, Paul Dini’s creation and development of Harley Quinn on Batman: The Animated Series, Paul Dini’s DC Comics storyline “Mad Love” and other DC Comics take on The Joker and Harley Quinn’s relationship that will breathe new life into this tale of mad love.
And I have to say, I really feel like this is going to be a beautiful return to the classic musical movies of old, but with a darker, crazier pulp twist. Everything from Arthur and Harley dancing through the streets and on the rooftops to a church with the Joker dressed to marry his bride to be to Harley painting a smile on the prison glass barrier and seeing Arthur’s face turning into a smile really showcases just how grand of a vision this musical is going to be.
This is nothing quite like what I expecting, even though I knew ahead of time that it was going to be a musical. But now I am genuinely more excited to see what story will unfold for these two characters and what fate will befall Gotham City. For those who may have been doubting if Todd Phillips would be able to pull off a musical with the Clown Prince of Crime and his Harlequin Queen, you can lay those fears to rest.
You can watch the full trailer here.
So what do you all think? Are you excited to see Joaquin Phoenix return with the lovely Lady Gaga? Can’t wait to see what mayhem these two crazed love birds will bring to Gotham City? Let us know in the comments below.
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