Is ‘Joker 2’ a musical?

While there are almost too many Joker interpretations to count, viewers are about to get another one. In Joker: Folie à Deux, Joaquin Phoenix reprises his titular role in the 2019 film.

To make matters even more bizarre, the Todd Phillips film isn’t quite a DC property. Though it falls under the Warner Bros. umbrella, it has quite a flexible relationship with canon. Phoenix’s character, Arthur Fleck, is an aspiring comedian — and the possible love child of Thomas Wayne, though that is never substantiated. This veers off of any known Joker backstory, which allowed Phillips to invent where he saw fit. 

Joker was no Batman adaptation, and the sequel doesn’t appear to be either. It unites Joker and Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga), an unequivocally abusive relationship that we all thought Hollywood was past representing in live action. Nonetheless, the casting of the famous pop star inspires many questions about the upcoming film. Exactly how true to the comics will the film go? Will it be just as misogynistic as the first film? And does Gaga’s presence mean this movie is a musical?

How much music is in Joker 2?

Gaga’s acting career doesn’t always insist upon vocals from the performer, but it has happened a time or two. Her significant role on the silver screen was in the Bradley Cooper vehicle, A Star Is Born, where Gaga played an aspiring singer. For all intents and purposes, it appears that the Joker sequel will be heading in a similar direction.

The first film featured many needle drops, most notably “Rock ‘n’ Roll (Part 2)” by sex offender, Gary Glitter. According to Variety, sources report that Joker 2 will veer further across the border into Musical Town. The film has been confirmed to be a “jukebox musical,” with at least 15 covers of popular songs. 

Jukebox musicals are quite common on the stage, describing shows that do not have original songs of their own, but create a story from pre-existing popular ones. Mamma Mia! is perhaps the most famous example, crafting a story around the music from the Swedish band, ABBA. Footloose was another famous musical that took its songs from popular music of the time. So far, the aforementioned Variety coverage reports that “That’s Entertainment” from the musical The Band Wagon will be among the line-up. If true, this would fall in line with music from the previous film that catered to a more nostalgic era. We can only speculate that this means Gaga will be sharing her vocals with the world when Joker: Folie à Deux hits theaters on October 4, 2024.