Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker has found his Harley Quinn.
The first trailer for the much-anticipated sequel Joker: Folie à Deux, co-starring Lady Gaga as the infamous henchwoman, arrived Tuesday night (April 9).
“I’m nobody,” Gaga’s Harley tells Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck when they meet in the trailer, with a sweeping version of the 1965 Hal David and Burt Bacharach classic “What the World Needs Now Is Love” playing in the background. “I haven’t done anything with my life like you have.”
While “Love” is the only song we hear, we see the visuals of what appears to be multiple musical moments throughout the trailer. “We use music to make us whole, to balance the fractures within ourselves,” we hear Steve Coogan’s character say in voice-over.
Phoenix acknowledges his relationship with Gaga’s character in a separate scene with Coogan, saying, “I’ll tell you what’s changed: I’m not alone anymore.”
In addition to Gaga, Phoenix and Coogan, the film also stars Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Catherine Keener (Incredibles 2) and Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin).
Variety previously reported that the Todd Phillips-directed film is “mostly a jukebox musical” that integrates at least 15 reinterpretations of “very well-known songs” and could contain one or two original soundtrack songs as well. The publication added that the film is expected to “break the mold of traditional musicals.”
Earlier in the week, fans got a first listen of Gaga’s voice as Harley Quinn. “You’re Joker… you can do anything you want,” the star is heard saying over a series of TikTok photos from the upcoming movie, including one of the Joker and Harley in a loving embrace with “the world is a stage” written across the top.
Folie à Deux follows the 2019 psychological thriller, Joker. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards in 2020, with Phoenix winning best actor and Hildur Guðnadóttir winning best original score.
Joker: Folie à Deux is out Oct. 4. Watch the first trailer below.
