Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck is about to laugh all the way to the bank as reports about the budget for Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux are accurate. In a new article from Variety, the outlet says the budget for Joker 2 is a staggering $200 million! In contrast, the original film’s budget was $60 million. Small in scope and execution, Joker kept its story street-level, focusing on the increasing madness of Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck and his influential rise in Gotham City. Phillips’ Joker 2 is a musical, which I would assume calls for elaborate sets, fancy costumes, and immense musical numbers with choreography to compliment the carnage.
Variety’s report says Phoenix is getting $20 million to reprise his role as the struggling comedian turned psychopath. At the same time, Lady Gaga, who plays Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn) in the film, will sing her heart out for $12 million. Joker: Folie à Deux’s musical roots paint a confusing picture for Joker fans. Is Phillips’ film a song-and-dance feature with ultra-violence and questionable relationship goals? Surely, Phillips knows musicals are typically box office kryptonite, and it’s unlikely that Joker fans are anticipating a villain who croons his way through the sequel. If this concept sounds like a gamble, that’s because it is. Then again, maybe Joker 2 will break the curse.
Aspects of the Joker 2 plot remain a mystery. Still, we know a portion of the film takes place in Arkham Asylum, a fortified prison masquerading as a hospital for Gotham’s criminally insane population. In the comics, Dr. Harleen Quinzel thinks she can crack the Joker’s insane exterior and explore the man beneath the smile. As their sessions continue, Harley becomes entranced by the Joker’s charm and worldview. Together, they form an unlikely bond, leading Quinzel and Joker to escape Arkham Asylum to create a new brand of havoc in Gotham City.
Other stars attached to Joker: Folie à Deux include Brendan Gleeson, Cathrine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Zazie Beetz, who reprises her role as Sophie Dumond from the original film.
What do you think of Joker 2 getting a budget of $200 million? What are they spending all that money on? What will you do if Joker: Folie à Deux is an all-out musical? Will you still be on board or riot online like Arthur’s followers on the lawless Gotham streets? Let us know in the comments below.