We’ve seen a couple of images to date of Lady Gaga‘s turn as Harley Quinn in the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux sequel. But now thanks to a TikTok video posted on Tuesday (April 2) we can finally hear what the Joker’s foil sounds like.
In a pic post entitled “The world is a stage” — a tease for the first official trailer due out on April 9 — you hear Gaga’s Quinn whisper, “You’re Joker… you can do anything you want,” over trilling, ominous piano as the screen flashes images of Phoenix’s terrifying clown getting a shave, standing in a rainstorm, locked in a prison and dancing with Quinn.
Gaga will suit up as Quinn in the sequel to director Todd Phillips’ billion-dollar 2019’s global hit Joker, which is due out on October 4. Variety recently reported that the eagerly anticipated film leans heavily towards being “mostly a jukebox musical” that integrates at least 15 reinterpretations of “very well-known songs” and could contain one or two original soundtrack songs as well.
Among the unnamed classics that are said to appear in the film are the 1953 song “That’s Entertainment,” a showstopper tune often associated with Judy Garland. And though music will reportedly play a major part in the film, Variety noted that Joker 2 is expected to “break the mold of traditional musicals.” No plot details have leaked yet about the movie, but it has been described as a drama with elements that take place around the notorious Arkham Asylum.
EW also noted that while previous Quinns have leaned into the character’s Brooklyn accent — including Arleen Sorkin, the voice actress who originated the role in Batman: The Animated Series, and Margot Robbie in the DC Extended Universe’s live-action films — Manhattan native Gaga’s take on Quinn appears to be accentless.
In addition to Gaga and Phoenix, the film stars Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Catherine Keener (Incredibles 2) and Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin). Variety also reported on Wednesday (April 3) that the film has been rated R for “some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality and brief full nudity”; the previous film was also rated R for “strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images.”
Listen to Gaga’s Quinn voice here.
