Variety’s Clayton Davis is reporting that “Joker 2: Folie à Deux” is a flat-out “jukebox musical” with 15 “very well-known” songs being covered throughout the film, and that’s not counting the “1 or 2 originals” that might have been newly recorded for the film.
Jukebox musicals, known for featuring popular songs, often achieve box office success. Examples include “Mamma Mia!” and “Moulin Rouge!,” the latter receiving eight Oscar nominations. “Joker 2” is expected to break the mold of traditional musicals.
Davis also confirms intel that we had previously reported on about Judy Garland’s “That’s Entertainment!” is one of the songs covered in the film.
Cinematographer Lawrence Sher had already mentioned that he and Phillips used Francis Ford Coppola’s ravishingly beautiful “One from the Heart” as a template and starting point for the visual schema of the upcoming sequel. Meanwhile, the musical style of ‘Folie à Deux’ is said to be heavily inspired by Liza Minelli musicals such as “Cabaret” and “That’s Entertainment!”
Phillips has stated that if “Joker” was his answer to “Taxi Driver,” then ‘Folie A Deux’ was partly influenced by Scorsese’s 1977 bomb “New York, New York” starring Robert De Niro and Minelli.
‘Folie à Deux’ would tell its story via the perspectives of both Gaga’s Harley Quinn and Phoenix’s Joker. The film’s main plot, although currently being kept secretive, is rumored to revolve around musical therapy sessions at Arkham Asylum.
“Joker 2: Folie à Deux” will be released in IMAX 70MM on October 4, 2024. It will most likely be premiering at the Venice Film Festival in September.
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.