Joker 2's Opening Sequence Takes A Bold, Looney Tunes-Inspired Gamble

Back when the first "Joker" movie was coming out in 2019, it's safe to say that pretty much everybody lost their collective minds in every sense of the phrase. After its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, early reactions painted the R-rated comic book movie as everything from the next coming of Jesus Christ himself to the single worst experience ever committed to the medium of film to, incredibly enough, a "dangerous" work that would inevitably lead to real-world violence ... somehow. It was easy to see how Joaquin Phoenix's mentally-unwell character known as Arthur Fleck might've actually had a point when he said, "Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?" But forget all that, because the original movie apparently has nothing on what the sequel has in store for us right from the jump.

"Joker: Folie à Deux" marks director Todd Phillips' follow-up effort set in the crime-ridden streets of Gotham City, but it would be unwise to expect more of the same. For one thing, Lady Gaga has been cast opposite Phoenix to lend her singing (and hopefully songwriting) talents as Harley Quinn, meaning this sequel will take on the flavor of a Broadway musical. But that hardly even scratches the surface of what Phillips and his creative team have cooked up, apparently.

In a wide-ranging profile published by Variety, the outlet spilled the beans on the opening sequence that kicks off the action. Described as "a 'Looney Tunes'-inspired cartoon," this animated scene reportedly ushers audiences through a dizzying array of courtroom scenes, prison riots, and even a "variety-show sequence" meant as a murderous send-up to the legendary duo of Sonny & Cher. And that's just how the movie starts, to say nothing of what other fever-dream antics surely follow. Sounds like a trip!

Oh, we're definitely far from the shallow now. Where the original "Joker" was a mostly straightforward crime drama documenting Arthur Fleck's tragic fall and the Joker's unlikely rise in Gotham City, "Joker: Folie à Deux" sounds like a wild, off-the-wall sequel where absolutely nothing was considered off limits. That approach will clearly be on display as soon as the movie begins with that aforementioned animated sequence, which Variety reveals has been developed by famed French animator and director Sylvain Chomet. (If you haven't checked out his award-winning "The Triplets of Belleville," you owe it to yourself to take a tumble down that rabbit hole without knowing anything else about it — trust me.) But this isn't meant to come across as zaniness just for the sake of it, however. According to Todd Phillips, this is all in service of a theme that's baked right into the DNA of the story:

"The goal of this movie is to make it feel like it was made by crazy people. The inmates are running the asylum."

Based on the trailer footage we've already seen, I'd say that this mission was very much accomplished. That's not to say that audiences can take this sort of chaotic energy for granted, however. Phillips also indicated that fans probably shouldn't expect a third film in this franchise, for better or worse. In the meantime, folks can look forward to "Joker: Folie à Deux" dropping in theaters October 4, 2024.