TheJokersequel is moving forward with Lady Gaga joining returning star Joaquin Phoenix. DubbedJoker: Folie à Deux, the movie will be directed by Todd Phillips, who’s back in the director’s chair after helming the original installment. While Phillips presented a dark drama with the firstJoker, he has changed course completely with the sequel by continuing Arthur Fleck’s story in a completely different medium.
Zazie Beetzplayed Arthur’s love interest, Sophie, in the original movie. In a new interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Beetz touched on theJokersequel news, first addressing her character’s fate. It was fairly ambiguous as to what happens to Sophie inJoker, but as far as Beetz is concerned, Arthur never harmed Sophie off-screen as some fans have theorized. She says this is because Arthur wouldn’t kill someone who hadn’t first “wronged” him in some way.
“Yeah, in my mind, she lives because she never actively wronged Arthur. His victims in the film were generally people that pointedly hurt him. Even within the horror of his realization around his own state of mind, he acknowledges that she’s more of a bystander to his situation than an actor to his situation. So, to me, it made sense that she wouldn’t be harmed by him because his harm was intentional towards certain people and then society at large, which he also felt wronged by in a way. So in my mind, she makes it out unscathed, at least physically.”
Related:Lady Gaga Fans Are Thrilled Over Harley Quinn Casting in Joker 2
Zazie Beetz Loves the Idea of Joker 2 as a Musical
Some fans were rather surprised when it was announced thatJoker 2would be a musical. As someone who knows director Todd Phillips personally as a star of the first film, Beetz has a different perspective, as she wasn’t shocked by any of it. Beetz goes on to explain why it is that going the musical route is perfect for theJokersequel which really makes perfect sense as far as she’s concerned.
“I actually think it makes wonderful sense. I wasn’t really surprised by that. Todd [Phillips] has always had a creative approach to the character. I love musicals, and I think of them as the characters are feeling and experiencing so much that they can only sing and dance about it, whether in sorrow or in joy. And I can actually see that within myself as well, because singing and dancing is quite a cathartic experience for me. I was going through a really, really difficult time at one point in my life, and I just started dancing and crying by myself. And that was an expression that matched where I was at that moment. And so I can see Arthur, who is feeling and experiencing so much, dancing and singing about it. He’s the Joker, so I think it makes sense to me.”
Fans will see how it turns out when the film is released exactly five years after the firstJokerpremiered. It is set to hit theaters on Jul 13, 2025.
