Why is Joker 2 a musical? Explained

Joker 2, or Joker: Folie à Deux, is all set for a theatrical release in the United States on Friday, October 4, 2024, following its festival circuit premiere. Though the film has received polarising reviews so far, one element about it has stood out from the crowd. It is perhaps the first superhero movie, which is also a musical.

Going by the history of superhero movies and their approach over the years, this is a very offbeat way of presenting the story of one of Gotham City's most prolific villains. However, for director Todd Phillips, who crafted a Scorsese-esque Joker in the first installment, going towards a musical was the natural direction for Joker 2.

Todd Phillips explained in a video conference, as reported by The Korea Times, that Arthur Fleck already had a romantic element about him, something that stemmed from his fantasies. Phillips elaborated:

"In the first movie, one thing (Phoenix and I) spoke about a lot was that even though Arthur is left-footed and out of step with the world, to us, there was a romance in him, and there was music inside of Arthur in the first film. That comes out in the first movie where he's dancing in the bathroom, or he's coming down the stairs in the Bronx."

He further went on to explain how the music inside him comes out when he meets Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga), as the romantic side of Arthur starts dominating.

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"It felt like an extension of Arthur"- Todd Phillips breaks down the choice of making Joker 2 a musical

While it seems that the tag of a musical has become the biggest talking point about the upcoming movie ahead of its release, to Todd Phillips it was the most natural character progression for Arthur. Phillips also explained how this transition into a musical did not feel like a big leap to him.

Todd Phillips said:

"So we thought, if we do another one and if he finally for the first time finds love in his life, maybe that music inside of him comes out. So it didn't seem like that much of a leap to us to turn this to have musical elements or for it to become a musical. It felt like an extension of Arthur from the first film and the idea that the music was in him."

There were indeed numerous sequences in the first movie, which romanticized Arthur's mental degradation with music and dance sequences. The first film also ended with Frank Sinatra's That's Life, which possibly laid the foundation for a sequel that would be a musical in the true sense.

It is yet to be seen how fans react to Joker 2. It has received mixed acclaim so far, with some critics loving it and some bashing it, something that we saw for the first movie as well.

Anyhow, the additional musical element is worth looking out for in Joker 2, which makes it a unique superhero adaptation, if not anything else.

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Joker 2 stars Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, Harry Lawtey, Jacob Lofland, and Ken Leung, besides Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix.

You can catch the movie in your nearest theatres starting October 4, 2024.