Just when you thought theJokerfranchise couldn’t explore more areas that the superhero genre hasn’t already touched, reports like this emerge. Reportedly, DCis attempting to get Lady Gaga to join Joaquin Phoenix inJoker 2.
If a sequel to the firstJokerwas going to live up to its predecessor, it had to obviously be of the same quality without repeating the same formula. That may require doing some thinking outside the box, but DC may have found the solution.
RELATED:Joker 2 Confirmed By Todd Phillips Along With Possible Title
According to The Hollywood Reporter, pop singer and actor Lady Gaga, who’s only four years removed from her Oscar-nominated performance inA Star is Born, is currently in negotiations to be Phoenix’s co-star inthe upcomingJokersequel. While the details as far as what her role would be in the film are yet to be determined, Lady Gaga would also have a starring role in a superhero movie musical, asJoker 2is reportedly going to be, according to THR sources. Speculation is that if the singer/actress signs on to the movie she would play Joker’s girlfriend Harley Quinn, with whom he has an abusive on-again/off-again relationship, even though Margot Robbie has played that very character in three DC movies. If that were the case, Gaga would be an alternate version of Harley Quinn. Since the DC universe already has multiple versions of Batman, the Joker, and Commissioner Gordon, which clearly hasn’t bothered fans in the slightest, this likely wouldn’t be a problem, especially with how muchJokerresonated with audiences back in 2019.
However, it has yet to be confirmed if Todd Phillips plans to use other charactersfrom the Batman universe, as he did inJoker.He also used characters not previously used in Batman comic books, so anything is on the table. One possible reason why Gaga is being brought up is that she and Phillips have worked together before. Phillips has worked with Gaga before as a producer onA Star is Born, so he has familiarity with her even though he technically hasn’t directed her. Note that he had never directed Phoenix either before the two collaborated to makeJoker.
Jokerwas a gritty character studyon what makes someone who suffers from a mental illness lose their sanity. Even if that had been done before, it had never been done in the superhero film genre. No one’s denying that a musical in this genre is an odd choice, but Phillips has pulled off stunts similar to this in the past. There’s no reason to think he doesn’t know what he’s doing here.
What remains in question is ifJokerwas lightning in a bottle or if Phillips truly is one of the greater filmmakers to be involved in the superhero genre. Just because filmmakers have made good superhero movies in the past does not guarantee every single one they make will be good. The infamous Bryan Singer made several goodX-Menmovies before making the largelydisappointingX-Men: Apocalypse. Phillips deserves the benefit of the doubt here, but if this doesn’t work, it could cause irreparable damage to the DC universe, which is only now getting past the self-inflicted wounds it gave itself back in the mid-2010s.
Jokercan currently be watched on HBO Max.
MORE:DC: 8 Most Powerful Members Of The Justice Society Of America In The Comics, Ranked
