New Joker: Folie à Deux set photos seemingly confirm the involvement of another prominent Batman villain in the upcoming project. The images stem from the same shoot that saw the first look at the main character’s love interest.
Joker: Folie à Deux is the upcoming sequel to 2019’s highly successful Joker, a psychological thriller that served as a revisionist origin story for the eponymous villain, chronicling the steep decline of failed clown and comedian Arthur Fleck into madness and nihilism and the ensuing counterculture force that his actions inspire among the oppressed of a characteristically bleak and inequitable Gotham City. Although Joker got a lot wrong about the character compared to how he is generally presented in most comic book and animated iterations, this was positive, with the film being generally well-received and a sequel expected by many.
Despite some worries that a Joker sequel would run into some storytelling trouble, the project was announced and began filming with fan anticipation. Most recently, set photos from the project posted to Instagram by the account hypefilo seem to hint at Batman villain Two-Face's alter-ego being in Joker 2. The images show protesters holding signs with slogans referencing the DC character Harvey Dent, who starts as a Gotham district attorney but eventually transforms into the villainous Two-Face.
Translated from the original Spanish, the caption attached to the image reads, “According to this image from the set of #JokerFolieADeux, #HarveyDent would make his debut in the universe of this #Joker. A banner is seen that reads, 'Harvey Dent is the clown.'" Harvey Dent has previously featured prominently in several pieces of Batman media, including the Tim Burton films and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy. While the scope and tone of Joker 2 might not allow it to detail the villainous fall of Dent from paragon of justice to his violent and unhinged criminal form, his appearance will be an interesting addition to the project.
While the first film was decidedly isolated from the wider DC canon and had a distinct feel, Joker: Folie à Deux seems to be going in a different direction. The inclusion of Harvey Dent will give the film more of a narrative connection to the source material, as did the addition of longtime Joker love interest Harley Quinn, with Lady Gaga officially confirming her role in Joker 2 via musical teaser in August of 2022. How well these additions will serve the sequel, or if Dent will even be a prominent feature in the film, remain to be seen.
Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled for theatrical release on October 4, 2024.
Source: The Hype/Instagram