Robert De Niro has his interest piqued by ‘Joker 2’ being a musical

For many wondering about Robert De Niro‘s thoughts on various reports regarding Joker: Folie a Deux, the wait is now over. 

For context, the legendary actor portrayed the role of late-night television host Murray Franklin in the 2019 film Joker. De Niro’s character would sadly be murdered on air following a heated argument with Arthur Fleck, also known as the Joker. Joaquin Phoenix plays Fleck in the franchise. 

On May 9, during an interview with Comicbook, De Niro, who was promoting his latest project, About My Father, was asked if he had heard the reports that the Joker sequel would be a musical and if he was happy that he didn’t have to reprise his role as Franklin. The 79-year-old disclosed that he did hear about the rumors and quipped that “it’s interesting.” He stated while mentioning his former co-star Joaquin Phoenix, 

“Oh, it’s gonna segue into a musical? I read that somewhere, too, with Joaquin Phoenix too, and he’s gonna — well, who knows how they’re doing it? It’s interesting. Yeah, it’s fine.”

Although the plot for Joker: Folie a Deux has yet to be released to the general public, news outlets are claiming that the thriller will star Phoenix as the Joker and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. 

Joker: Folie a Deux will also include appearances by Zazie Beetz, who played a single mother and the Joker’s fantasized love interest Sophie Dumond in the first installment, Harry Lawtey, Brendan Gleeson, Jacob Lofland, and Catherine Keener. Production for Joker: Folie à Deux began in December 2022 and would wrap last month. At this time, no additional information surrounding the second installment has been revealed. 

Joker: Folie à Deux is set to debut in theaters on October 4, 2024.