It’s been five years since DC’s standalone Joker movie that shifted the focus on Batman’s greatest villain and his rise to become Gotham’s greatest criminal. For the sequel, Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) is joined by Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) but don’t expect to see him as the Clown Prince of Crime, though he’s having a killer time along the way. Warner Bros. released a new poster to hype up Joker and Harley’s budding and bloody romance.
The poster features the duo dressed in their Sunday best, Harley and Joker locked into each other’s eyes, their faces speckled with blood.
While there’s still no Batman in sight, but Joker became the second DC movie to make $1 billion–but also the most profitable coming from just a $55 million budget. For the sequel, the budget ballooned into something more standard of a superhero feature with $200 million, but from what we’ve seen in the trailer, the production is going all-out with large-scale musical numbers.
Along with Phoenix, Zazie Beetz will reprise her role from the previous film as Arthur’s neighbor, as well as Leigh Gill and Sharon Washington returning as clown co-worker Gary and Arthur’s social worker, respectively. Meanwhile, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, Steve Coogan, Ken Leung, and Harry Lawtey have been cast in unannounced roles.
Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled to hit theaters on October 2, with its international release, and October 4 for the United States.