Joaquin Phoenix is returning to the theatres with the sequel of his 2019 release Joker, titled Joker: Folie A Deux in 2024. The film will debut in theatres on October 4, 2024, a little over five years after the first part directed by Todd Philips film hit the screens back in 2019, reports Variety. Joker 2 - Folie a Deux: Joker Sequel Confirmed by Todd Phillips, Shares Pic of Joaquin Phoenix Reading Script's Draft.

The sequel will be a musical (the original was squarely a dark and gritty drama), with none other than Lady Gaga expected to play the Clown Prince of Crime's co-conspirator Harley Quinn.

According to Variety, Joker was supposed to be a standalone film, but after the R-rated tentpole generated more than $1 billion globally and earned Phoenix an Oscar, a sequel was preordained.

Naturally, the actor is asking for big bucks to reprise his sinister role as Arthur Fleck; Phoenix's paycheck for Folie A Deux will be $20 million.

Warner Bros. announced the release date on Wednesday (Pacific Standard Time) on the heels of news that the studio has scrapped its $90 million-budgeted Batgirl, despite the DC film being nearly complete. The axing of Batgirl, which will not be released in theatres or on HBO Max, rocked the industry because studios almost never shelve productions outright.

Variety further states that Todd Phillips, who steered Joker to 11 Academy Award nominations in total, is returning to direct the sequel. He's also co-writing the screenplay with Scott Silver. Joker: Folie a Deux - Lady Gaga in Talks to Play Harley Quinn in Joaquin Phoenix, Todd Phillips' Film

The first movie cost $62.5 million to produce, an unusually conservative budget for a comic book adaptation. Joker became massively profitable, but Warner Bros. had to split revenues with co-financiers Bron Creative and Village Roadshow.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 04, 2022 12:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).