Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga's Joker 2 Set To Be A 'Jukebox Musical' With 15 Songs

Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of the shattered and unhinged Arthur Fleck in 2019 thriller Joker won the actor his first ever Academy Award. The film has for long been on the way to become a franchise with Joker: Folie a Deux in the works. Interestingly, Lady Gaga is the female face of the much-anticipated film, all set to essay the role of Harley Quinn.

Joker: Folie a Deux will be a musical

Tod Phillips, director of the Joker franchise, appears to be leaving no stone unturned when it comes to making the second installment and out and out surprise for the audience. Lady Gaga being announced as the female lead for the film in itself hiked the anticipation for the film, her last two critically acclaimed acting gigs being A Star is Born and House of Gucci. A recent report from Variety now affirms, that Joker 2 will be a musical.

The film is set to carry cover of at least fifteen well known numbers, tweaked to fit the mood and premise of Gotham. An insider referred to the film in the works as "a jukebox musical". One of the songs confirmed for a recreation in the film is This Is Entertainment from the 1953 show Band Wagon, often associated with Judy Garland. While the 15 songs being reimagined is a surety, the report also suggests that a few original numbers are also being created to keep things interesting for music aficionados who will be watching the film. Academy Award winning composer Hildur Gudnadottir, who composed the music for the first film, may also "infuse her signature, evocative notes".

Joker 2 is being mounted on a massive budget

Joker 2, as per the Variety report, is being mounted on a massive budget of $200 million. This marks a significant jump from the budget of the first film which was $60 million. The film is set for a release in the United States on October 4. 
Things have been extremely tight lipped with regards to the plot of Joker 2. The movie has simply been described as a "drama set in and around the world of Arkham Asylum".

Besides Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, the film is also set to feature Zazie Beetz, Catherine Keener, and Brendan Gleeson.