Speculation is rife that Lady Gaga is being tapped to play the role of Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux, a new film that would be a musical sequel to Joker, the 2019 offering by Todd Phillips. Joker was a smash box-office hit, grossing $1 billion worldwide and capturing 2 Oscars—it became the fourth highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
Phillips is co-writing the script for Folie with Scott Silver, his co-writer on the Joker script. The movie’s title Folie à Deux refers to a shared psychotic disorder, hinting that we’ll be seeing more shenanigans in the asylum.
The Hollywood Reporter first broke the story this week that Gaga was in negotiation for the role of Quinn, the psychiatrist the Arkham Asylum who falls in love with the Joker and participates in his criminal activities. If chosen, she might be appearing opposite Joaquin Phoenix, who is also reportedly in negotiation for the role.
Harley Quinn as a character first appeared some thirty years ago in Batman: The Animated Series. Margot Robbie played the role three times, in Suicide Squad (2016), Birds of Prey (2020), and The Suicide Squad (2021). Kaley Cuoco also voices the character on Harley Quinn, the HBO Max animated series.
It’s also being speculated that Lady Gaga will contribute some original music to the film. She won an Oscar for best song in A Star Is Born, the movie that Phillips co-produced in 2018.
Even though the deal has yet to be sealed, media critics are already chiming in on the prospects of a Gaga/Quinn performance. As Savannah Walsh wrote in Vanity Fair this week: “Yes, the movie has every chance of being an unmitigated disaster—but it also has the opportunity to pleasantly surprise. Either way, Phillips and co. have already gotten what they wanted by dangling Gaga before our eyes. And if it all goes up in flames, I’ll be applying my white face paint and adjusting my red nose accordingly.
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