Joker 2, the follow-up to the gritty DC movie from 2019, will begin shooting much sooner than previously expected. When Joker released in 2019, audiences weren’t sure whether or not the thriller movie would get a sequel.
The violent drama movie, which pays homage to classic Martin Scorsese movies like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, seemed to have a definitive ending, and without broader connections to the DCEU, it looked like it might be a one-off project. However, it was a huge commercial success, and a sequel to the movie title Joker: Folie à Deux, was announced earlier this year.
Joker 2 is set to explore Arthur Fleck’s stint in Arkham Asylum. It will star Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, a role previously taken on by Margot Robbie. The biggest surprise about the sequel to the anti-superhero movie, though, was the announcement that Joker 2 will be a musical, which explains Lady Gaga’s presence. A short teaser for the film confirmed that it would be releasing in 2024.
Now, THR reports that Joker 2 will begin filming sooner than we might have expected. Speaking to THR on the Behind the Screen podcast, cinematographer Lawrence Sher (who also worked Black Adam) said that filming will take place in Los Angeles and New York, commencing in five or six weeks time.
It’s big news for the project, and will leave DC fans excited for the near future. That’s because filming beginning soon raises the prospect of getting a first look at the characters in the movie, and it will be particularly fascinating to see the design for Harley Quinn in this more grounded approach.
With filming kicking off soon, it also means that the 2024 release date could be sooner in the year than we might expect. In fact, it raises the prospect of the movie releasing within the first half of 2024, and given that we’re almost in 2023 now, that’s not very far away at all. It also means that the first teaser trailers could be dropping at some point next year.
The movie will be helmed by returning director Todd Phillips and will come highly anticipated – especially with the big casting decisions and change of direction. For more Gotham-related fun, check out our guide to the Batman movies in order.