Joker: Folie à Deux / Joker 2

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Part of a series on Joker (2019 Film). [View Related Entries]

Overview

Joker: Folie à Deux, also known as Joker 2, is the sequel of the 2019 DC Comics film Joker, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix. The title translates from French to English, "Madness for Two." Joker: Folie à Deux was announced in June 2022, generating viral discussion across social media on platforms like Twitter and Reddit, among others. The sequel became highly anticipated both for its film potential and meme potential based on the various memes created by the first Joker film.

History

Announcement

On June 7th, 2022, director Todd Phillips posted a two-image carousel post on Instagram^[1] that led with the cover of a screenplay titled, "Joker: Folie à Deux" (shown below, left). The secondary image was a black-and-white photo of Phillips writing in a windowed room while smoking a cigarette (shown below, right). In less than a day, Phillips' post received roughly 242,900 likes. The release date was not announced during the initial reveal.

Reactions and Memes

Immediately on June 7th, 2022, multiple outlets across social media relayed Phillips' Instagram post. For instance, the Twitter^[2] page DiscussingFilm posted an announcement tweet on June 7th that earned roughly 52,500 likes in less than a day. News outlet Variety also wrote an article^[4] and posted a tweet^[3] on June 7th that received roughly 27,500 likes in the same amount of time.

Going into the first week of June 2022, the idea of a Joker sequel started to receive meme attention on social media. For instance, on June 7th, Twitter^[5] user PopeAwesomeXIII tweeted, "The fact that there's gonna be a Joker 2 just means Batman isn't doing his god damn job," earning over 270 likes in one day (shown below, left). Also on June 7th, Twitter^[6] user MrTonyNacho photoshopped the album cover for Fall Out Boy's album Folie à Deux onto the screenplay cover, earning over 890 likes in one day (shown below, right).

Willem Dafoe in Joker Sequel

Amid the announcement of the Joker sequel, some internet users resurfaced an article written by Forbes^[7] in January 2019 that focused on statements made by actor Willem Dafoe about his, "Crazy Idea For A ‘Joker’ Sequel." He's already known for playing the Spider-man villain the Green Goblin. Forbes cited an interview Dafoe had with British GQ^[8] where he fantasized about playing a "Joker imposter" in a sequel of Phillips' Joker. The translation of the title, "Madness for Two," hinted to many that this could be a possibility.

On June 7th, 2022, Twitter^[9] user RawbertBeef posted the Forbes article, stating, "MAKE IT. MAKE THE MOVIE, TODD," and earning over 170 likes in less than a day (shown below, left). Also on June 7th, Twitter^[10] user PattyNest tweeted, "If Willem Dafoe isnt in Joker 2 then i don't want it," earning roughly 1,200 likes in the same amount of time (shown below, right).