Joaquin Phoenix to return to big screen as Joker in 2024 sequel

A motion picture sequel to the Oscar-winning psychological thriller Joker, based on one of the world’s best known comic book villains, is set for release in theaters on October 4, 2024, a spokesperson for film distributor Warner Bros said on Wednesday, August 3.

 

According to the studio spokesperson, Joaquin Phoenix will reprise his role as the title character from the 2019 picture telling the origin story of the antagonist of DC Comics’ superhero Batman, for which he won the Academy Award for best actor.

The 2019 film, which was Oscar-nominated in the best film category and won for best original score as well as for best lead actor, was directed and produced by Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the script with Scott Silver.

 

The story charted the psychological descent of the film’s protagonist, a failed party clown and wannabe comedian Arthur Fleck, and the social forces that transformed him from a dejected loner into a cold-blooded killer who inspires a wave of violence in the fictional metropolis of Gotham City.

 

No further details about the sequel were immediately made available by Warner Bros. But Hollywood trade publication Variety has reported that the new production will be a musical with Lady Gaga expected to play Joker’s co-conspirator, Harley Quinn.

 

Phoenix, 47, who is known for playing gloomy or tormented characters, received a great deal of praise for what many critics called as one of the most eerie and terrifying performances in contemporary cinema.

 

He was the second actor to win an Oscar for portraying the Joker, following Heath Ledger, who received the posthumous award for best supporting actor in 2008 for his role as the character in The Dark Knight.