Lady Gaga Is in Talks to Join Joker 2, Which Is Apparently a Musical

Todd Phillips, the clown prince of cinematic crime, teased the Joker sequel by sharing a post to Instagram of the script’s blood-red title page, subtitled Folie à Deux. As the title (“shared madness”) and the red-and-black color palette seem to suggest, this follow-up to the $1 billion-grossing Best Picture nominee might usher in DC villainess Harley Quinn, Joker’s long-standing love interest.

Another incarnation of Harley Quinn might sound like a headache, just as the repeat revivals of the Joker or Batman might. But with Lady Gaga now in early talks to assume the role opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, this sour operation is starting to sweeten. Did I mention sources have said the film will also be a musical?

Gaga’s Harley Quinn would be one to watch, with her exaggerated stage persona and budding prestige as an actress. She has displayed her acting chops over recent years, having nabbed an Academy Award nomination for A Star Is Born and gone method playing Patrizia Reggiani in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci.

If all of this is true—that Phillips is about to do his best Busby Berkeley and Gaga wants in—we’re due for either a weirdly original take on well-trodden IP, or a spectacular trainwreck and 15,000 articles in defense of the film’s campiness. Without fixed production dates and casting deals up in the air, it’ll likely be a while before we know any more.