Joker: Folie à Deux trailer breakdown: 3 key takeaways
As Joker: Folie à Deux prepares to release on October 4, 2024, Arthur Fleck is prepared to make a comeback. Warner Bros. released the movie's first teaser trailer on April 9, promising to continue with the action. A sequel to the 2019 Joker movie, there is going to be more music and more emotional twists in the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux as Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga play the leads, Joker and Harley Quinn.
For the uninitiated, Joker is a supervillain in DC Comics who is the archenemy of Batman, Bruce Wayne. Joker has many origin stories and different origins for Harley Quinn, his ally-cum-romantic interest. The 2019 Joker reintroduced Arthur Fleck presented by Joaquin Phoenix, earning the actor an Academy Award. The much-awaited sequel presents a further look into the villain's complex moves after the thrilling first part.
Disclaimer: This article may contain the author's personal opinions.
3 significant takeaways from Joker: Folie à Deux trailer
Warner Bros. trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux presents a glimpse of what the movie might contain since music legend Lady Gaga joins the cast. Some of the hints picked from the recently released trailer are:
Harley Quinn is an inmate in the asylum
Unlike the original arc where Harley Quinn was a psychiatrist in Arkham Asylum, the trailer of Joker: Folie à Deux shows her as a fellow patient. She is seen inside the facility, dressed casually and eyeing Arthur as he is taken about.
Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn shows obvious admiration for Joker, by emulating his signature gun-to-the-head move as well as following him within the premises and in the streets. She seems to know him and is familiar with his work and reputation.
Music plays an important part in Joker: Folie à Deux
As one scene presents, Harley Quinn practicing in a choir-like group, it seems the hospital uses music therapy for its patients. Moreover, with Lady Gaga joining Joaquin Phoenix, a country singer-cum-actor, the movie promises music all the way.
The trailer depicts a Moulin Rouge-like vibe with what looks like some elaborate musicals and operas. The two leads are shown dancing on a stage, in the streets, and on the courtroom steps. Whether all these are in reality or part of the imagination of either character, remains to be seen.
More jokers besides the original in Joker: Folie à Deux
One of the scenes sees Arthur running down the street as more than one person, in the makeup of a Joker, chases him. This might be an indication of the number of followers he had collected through his gruesome protests shown in the first movie.
There is also a fan theory which states that Arthur Fleck is not the villain Batman fights but an inspiration for anyone ready to take on the role. Alternatively, it could mean that the psychopath clown inside Arthur has died down and he is just an ex-criminal on the run.
This would also explain, Harley Quinn's move of emulating Joker's shooting action or her drawing a smile with lipstick for Arthur to fit in. These moves seem to suggest that the woman in his life is trying to remind him who he is and inspire him to don the villain's cloak again.
More pointers in Joker: Folie à Deux trailer
To start with, the trailer finds Arthur inside the Arkham Asylum. While it is not known if he had escaped sometime between the two movies, it is clear that Harley Quinn spots him there and tries to get in contact with him.
One of the shots saw Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn painting a vivid red smile on her face using blood while there seems to be a dead body behind her on the table she sits on. This could be a reference to the previous film's ending or could mean that Joker's ladylove joined the crime world with aplomb.
The last scene from the trailer presents imagery-in-action as a woman, possibly Harley Quinn uses lipstick to paint a red smile on a glass partition. On the other side of the partition, a sad and confused Arthur slowly moves his head as he fits into the smile. This is an indication that Arthur Fleck's Joker in the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux is a more complex character than a comic book villain.
Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled for release on October 4, 2024, and awaits another trailer in the meantime.