Lady Gaga Looks Completely Stunning As Harley Quinn In This Gorgeous Artwork
When director Todd Phillips gave the big update that a sequel to 2019's "Joker" is happening, it was surprising enough. Even more surprising, though, is the buzz from The Hollywood Reporter that indicates Lady Gaga could be joining the film as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn.
Reportedly, the "A Star Is Born" actress is in talks to appear in the film alongside Joaquin Phoenix's Joker. The title of the movie — "Joker: Folie à deux," which was revealed by Philips on Instagram — suggests we've gone from the origins of Phoenix's Joker to a world where he'll be joined by a partner-in-crime, as the title translates to refers to a medical term about shared mental illness. The Hollywood Reporter states Gaga's character name is technically being kept under wraps, but it's difficult to say who else besides Harley Quinn she could be playing in a potential sequel, especially one with this title — a seeming reference to the toxic relationship between Joker and Quinn.
Whatever happens, the sequel appears to be in good hands, as Phillips has written the script with "Joker" co-writer Scott Silver, and Phoenix is expected to return. Meanwhile, fans are already excited at the prospect of Gaga as Quinn, with some taking the extra step and already visualizing the musician in the role with fan artwork. One particular piece gives a stunning look at how Gaga could look as Gotham's Queen of Crime.
Lady Gaga visualized as Harley Quinn
In fan artwork posted to Instagram, an artist going by bosslogic posted an animated rendering of Gaga as Harley Quinn. In the image, the "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" star is holding the giant hammer we've seen the character employ before, including very briefly in a tease in 2016's "Suicide Squad." Gaga is also wearing a bloodied shirt, fishnets, and munching on what appears to be a lollipop in the artwork, so it's not at all difficult imagining her as a character who has exploded in popularity in recent years thanks to Margot Robbie's performances as the Gotham criminal.
"This looks badass. Perfect combo," Instagram user ian.loyola commented on the fan art.
"Wooooo... she's Amazing, nice work Boss," nunu_francavilla added.
Some others were not as convinced of Gaga in the role. While the musician has quite an impressive resume so far working with directors like Robert Rodriguez and Ridley Scott, she does have some challenges in front of her if she were to step into the role of Quinn, the first being how synonymous the comic creation has become with Robbie over the course of three movies.
Will Lady Gaga replace Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn?
Even with the mixed reception to 2016's "Suicide Squad," most walked away agreeing Robbie as perfect as Harley Quinn. She went on to appear in her own spin-off and James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad" sequel, and she's won praises each and every time.
It's hard to imagine another actress stepping into the role, but look how many actors have played the Joker? Phoenix still managed to blow audiences away and nab a Best Actor Academy Award for his 2019 performance (per IndieWire), even though the role had previously been brought to screen — and in iconic fashion — by Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson. There is, also, already another Harley Quinn on screens today. She's been voiced by Kaley Cuoco in HBO Max's "Harley Quinn" since 2019, and that show is headed into its third season. And the first actor to define Harley — even inspiring the creation of the character herself, per Nerdist — was Arleen Sorkin.
Robbie suggested at one point that she needed a break from the role of Quinn, but while promoting Gunn's movie, she revealed she's always ready for more Quinn. "I did 'Birds of Prey' and 'The Suicide Squad' back-to-back, so that was a lot of Harley all in a one-year period, but that was a while ago now. I'm always ready for more Harley," she said (per Entertainment Tonight).
So, to be clear, if Gaga does play Harley in the "Joker" sequel, she would not be a full replacement for Robbie (presumably) because Robbie's Quinn exists in the DCEU, just like Jared Leto's Joker. Gaga would simply represent another version of Quinn from DC's expanding multiverse.
Joker 2 may be a musical, making it perfect for Gaga
"Joker" was unusual for a comic book movie, not only for the dark alleyways it danced around in, but also because it was a mid-budget film ($55 million) that managed a worldwide tally ($1.1 billion) that Marvel would spend four times as much money trying to get (per Box Office Mojo). It was a massive success, but also not the sort of material that set itself up easily for sequels. The ending to "Joker" is a definitive end to the origin tale Phillips wanted to tell.
Now, it looks like he may want to pull a Tobe Hooper and flip everything on its head. The sequel to "Joker" could end up being a musical, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It would certainly be an original way to follow up the original, and Phillips' gamble paying off the first time likely gives Warner Bros. far more faith in something different again.
While it wasn't a musical, Phillips and Gaga have worked on a music-heavy movie in the past. Phillips was a producer on Bradley Cooper's "A Star Is Born," the Oscar-winning film that also gave Gaga a hit with "Shallow." Whether "Joker: Folie à deux" does end up being a full-blown musical or not, though, Gaga's inclusion at least opens the possibility of including some kind of fitting musical element.
We already know Phoenix's Joker can dance, so it really could be a perfect match.