How do you follow up a colossal box office hit that grossed $1 billion worldwide, won two Academy Awards, and became one of the most talked about movies of the 21st century so far? That was the dilemma facing writer-director Todd Phillips, the man who made his name in Hollywood directing ‘The Hangover’ trilogy, before pivoting (sort of) to the DC universe to make ‘Joker’.
“I’m a little more nervous this time,” Phillips told journalists during the Venice Film Festival. “It’s a lot easier to come into something as the insurgent as opposed to coming in as the incumbent. There’s a lot more expectations on a second film.”
Phillips had already been thinking about what might be next for his damaged, face-painted protagonist Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) even while the first movie was rampaging its way through pop culture and the global box office in 2019 and early 2020.
And the answer to that ‘What next?’ question that Phillips and his leading man landed on was: let’s add Lady Gaga, give it a French title (Joker Folie á Deux), and make it a musical… sort of!
‘Joker Folie á Deux’ opens with Arthur imprisoned in Arkham (where he’s tormented by a cruel guard played by Brendan Gleeson), awaiting trial for crimes. His lawyer (Catherine Keener) is hoping to get Arthur off by reason of insanity due to his evident split personality, though District Attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey, from TV series Industry) isn’t buying it. Arthur’s case has become a media sensation, “the trial of the century”, winning him an army of misguided supporters who cheer him on outside Gotham Courthouse, as well as interview requests from a TV host (played by Steve Coogan). But the only new fan Arthur is interested in is Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), another inmate at Arkham.
Similar to how Phoenix’s Joker was a very different spin on a famous character, Gaga’s Lee is its own interpretation of Harley Quinn, a legend of the animated Batman series and last seen on the big screen played by Margot Robbie in ‘Birds of Prey’. In this version, Lee felt inspired by Arthur’s actions to fight back against her own abusers, landing her in the minimum security wing of the hospital. The two of them quickly fall in love, a relationship that is played out largely through song in their own heads: ‘folie á deux’ is a term for a delusional mental illness shared by two people.
But this second Joker isn’t an all-singing, all-dancing spectacular. As the trailer suggests, it’s more about the two characters giving their own imperfect renditions of well-known songs from classic Hollywood musicals by the likes of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. In the trailer, we also hear Arthur crooning to Stevie Wonder’s ‘For Once In My Life’ and Louis Armstrong’s ‘When You’re Smiling’.. The songs are integrated into the story and the movie’s own score by returning composer Hildur Gudnadóttir, who also won an Oscar for her work on the first movie.
It was when he started writing the screenplay that Phillips says the musical choices started to form in his head. “It was meant to feel like music Arthur may have listened to with his mom when he was younger, music that she played for him,” he explained in Venice. “If you remember the first film Arthur has a musicality to him. He is often dancing to express the way he feels. And Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score is almost like a character in the first film. So when it started taking shape with actual music elements we thought what if we got Lady Gaga who actually brings music with her.”
During the film’s press conference, Lady Gaga added more about the movie’s musical leanings: “The music is a way to give the characters a way to express themselves because the dialogue wasn’t enough.”
Phoenix, who previously sang on screen as Johnny Cash in ‘Walk The Line’, said part of the joy of the project was taking these songs that are cherished as standards and trying to find ways they felt specific to the characters. “We initially started with references – like I had Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jnr and these legends – and I started trying to emulate those sounds, before I stopped and thought, ‘This is not who Arthur is. It might be who Joker wants to be’,” Phoenix said. “That was the point, for me, where something really clicked, where we took these standards and decided to do our own understanding and interpretation of them.”
It’s definitely a risky move to go the ‘sort-of-musical’ route with such a beloved character, but Phillips’ decision to try something different isn’t without precedent in the Batman extended universe. Tim Burton’s sequel, ‘Batman Returns’ (1992), adopted a very different tack to the original, going darker, weirder, and sexier (hell, even kinkier), also showcasing a huge role for a female character in Catwoman (played by Michelle Pfeiffer in what was to become her signature performance). And while that might have cost it a few Happy Meal tie-ins at the time, ‘Batman Returns’ is beloved by many fans, some of whom even prefer it to the original.
So there’s every reason to believe Joker’s second act will go down a storm. If nothing else, couples will have a hell of a good idea for a joint Halloween costume this year.
Words :
Declan Cashin