Five years ago, Todd Phillips’ surprise hit movie Joker, which startled both reviewers and audiences, became a smash at the box office. Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of the grim version of DC Comics’s classic villain (Arthur Fleck / Joker) even brought him an Oscar. The long wait for a sequel will finally pay off later this year when Joker 2 opens in theaters on October 4, 2024. Will this be a traditional follow-up?
Rumors quickly spread that the follow-up might see a musical pivot after Lady Gaga joined the cast as Harley Quinn. Although not much is known about Joker: Folie à Deux, Lawrence Sher, the film’s cinematographer, has recently declared that it is “not a musical”.
It appears that this decision was made to correct a major error before the film’s release in order to avoid the problems that have previously afflicted The Marvels. One of the reasons for Brie Larson’s film’s failure was that viewers did not want it to be a musical.
Joker 2 Sets the Stage Right: A Musical-Free Cinematic Win
Without question, the 2019 superhero film Joker transformed the superhero genre and challenged prevailing beliefs. The dark and twisted story of one of Batman’s most iconic adversaries enthralled audiences around the world. For this reason, fans were ecstatic to learn of the sequel starring Joaquin Phoenix. Although the plot is tightly under wraps, one question keeps popping up: Is the upcoming sequel a musical?
After composer Hildur Guðnadóttir’s earlier remarks gained traction online, rumors initially started to spread about the musical elements involved in the film. In an interview with ComicBook, the composer of Joker 1 and 2 stated.
“There is going to be a lot of music. That’s all I can give away.”
Moreover, the sequel will have “complicated musical sequences”, Variety also revealed around the same time. From all of this, some conjectured that the film might be a musical overall, abandoning the serious tone of the first film and going all out with numerous song and dance sequences.
But the cinematographer for Joker 1 & 2, Lawrence Sher, recently refuted these rumors on February 14, saying the movie is not musical. She said:
Lawrence Sher says 'JOKER 2' is not a musical
"It's not a musical per se, it just has music in it. The music is part of the film and the characters, but I don't know if it's a musical."
(via: @jokerfolienews) pic.twitter.com/iaqxIs96nh
— ScreenTime (@screentime) February 14, 2024
This decision appears to fix a major error before the film’s release, which may have been partly motivated by the criticism The Marvels received. Music was one of the contributing factors to the failure of Nia DaCosta’s film.
Joker 2 Fixes a Musical Error to Avoid Brie Larson’s The Marvels Disaster?
It is impossible to ignore Brie Larson’s The Marvels’ audacious attempt to weave musical elements into its superhero story. Sadly, this move backfired, receiving little enthusiasm from both critics and audiences. While some may argue that musical scenes can enhance a film’s experience, The Marvels actually overlooked that creativity needs to be handled with precision and, above all, to be aligned with viewers’ expectations.
The lowest-grossing film in the MCU received a 1.5-star rating from Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com, who described it as “terrible” and said that it is “the worst film yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” with “an unexpected” musical sequence.
Todd Phillips’ 2019 film took a darker turn, delving into the psyche of the Joker, enthralling audiences with its psychological depth and brilliant performance by Joaquin Phoenix. Thus, avoiding music can be a win-win situation for the film’s plot and Joker’s arc.
With the maker’s clear-eyed vision as well as the choice to leave out musical elements, Joker: Folie à Deux rectifies a potential error, preventing the pitfalls that have previously plagued The Marvels.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ Joker: Folie à Deux will be released on October 4, 2024.
Meanwhile, stream Joker on Netflix and The Marvels is available on Disney Plus.
