We Finally Got a Look at Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in 'Joker: Folie a Deux'

If you need a small reminder amidst the daily barrage of DC superhero news, we have a Joker sequel in our collective future: Joker: Folie à Deux, The sequel to the 2019 film will see Joaquin Phoenix reprise his role as Joker. Meanwhile, Lady Gaga joined the cast to play his love interest, Harley Quinn. Now—at long last!—we have a first look at Gaga in the role.

On Tuesday night, singer posted a sneak peek of her Harley Quinn look on Instagram. The snapshot shows Gaga holding her co-stars face, which, of course, is covered in her lipstick. Not much is known about the film, aside from the fact that it’s a musical (more on that later), but it appears—at the very least—Phillips is keeping Harley Quinn and Joker's twisted romance alive. Catherine Keener, Brendan Gleeson, Jacob Lofland, and Zazie Beetz will join Gaga and Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux. While many of the other roles are still shrouded in secrecy, Jacob Lofland's character reportedly "develops a relationship" with the Joker during his time as an inmate at Arkham Asylum, which is a kind of friendship that no one should ever seek out.

If you ask us here at Esquire, we've long thought that Joker was a relatively soulless take on a storied villain and that Phoenix would be smart to take his trophies and move on. Joker: Folie à Deux pivoting to a full-on musical will either make for an Oscar-baiting catastrophe, or something so damn insane that it gives the comic-book movie genre a much-needed shakeup. (We're betting on the former. And please, Todd Phillips, have enough restraint to not reprise the staircase dance, only with Gaga's Harley Quinn at the Joker's side.)

Still, Phillips's initial reveal of a Joker follow-up last year arrived as somewhat of a surprise, since neither Phillips nor Phoenix seemed too keen on firing back up the franchise, especially after The Batman seemingly cast Barry Keoghan as yet another competing iteration of the Joker. The only hint we have as to where this film could actually take Arthur Fleck is in the title. Folie à deux is a French term that refers to a mental disorder impacting two or more individuals. So, now what's left to sort out is if Quinn is working with or against Joker in the sequel. Or both. You officially have until October 4, 2024 to learn how to correctly pronounce folie à deux.

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