By John Corrado

Warner Bros. has just released the new trailer for their upcoming sequel Joker: Folie À Deux, which of course sees Joaquin Phoenix returning to his Oscar-winning role of Arthur Fleck, the failed comedian turned crown prince of crime. Phoenix is joined this time around by Lady Gaga, who takes on the role of Harley Quinn, and will surely be in the Oscar conversation herself.

The 2019 film entered the cultural zeitgeist in a massive way, earning a billion dollars at the box office and receiving eleven Oscar nominations with two wins, so a sequel was perhaps inevitable. Questions were certainly raised when director Todd Phillips first announced that this followup would be a musical starring Gaga, but it looks like the high stakes gambit has fully paid off.

This new trailer (which builds off the haunting teaser that broke viewership records online a few months ago) looks just as dark and thrilling, allowing Phillips to play around more in his retro version of Gotham City. Lawrence Sher’s cinematography is once again the standout, with a number of captivating images. It’s no wonder the trailer is highlighting that this was “filmed for IMAX.”

Joker: Folie À Deux was just announced to premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival, where the first film won the Golden Lion in 2019. It’s being released exclusively in theatres on October 4th. The full trailer is below. Please comment your thoughts if you have watched the trailer!