“She has literally defined what a musical is”: Lady Gaga Becomes a Laughingstock After Her Paper-Thin Defense on Why Joker 2 isn’t a Musical

SUMMARY

• Lady Gaga stated in an interview that Joker: Folie à Deux is not a musical film.
• The movie will include at least 15 songs and possibly original ones with Todd Phillips calling it "mostly a jukebox musical".
• Fans laughed at Lady Gaga's answer and claimed it's basically the definition of a musical.

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Joker: Folie à Deux will include some live musical numbers from Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, setting it apart from the original movie. However, the famed singer insisted that it isn’t a musical despite the several reinterpretations of well-known songs.

Credits: Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux / Warner Bros. Pictures

Lady Gaga will take on the mantle of Harley Quinn, previously played by Margot Robbie in DCEU’s Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey. Phoenix reprises his role as Joker, the role which earned him an Oscar win for Best Actor in 2020.

Lady Gaga Firmly Stated Joker 2 Is Not A Musical

The sequel to 2019’s Joker is one of the highly anticipated projects from director Todd Phillips ever since the success of the first installment. In fact, the follow-up film was originally planned to be a Broadway show but he doubted Joaquin Phoenix would want to spend six months of his life singing on stage every night.

Now, the pandemic somewhat saved him from taking such a risk. In 2022, it was announced that Joker 2 was in development and Lady Gaga would star as Harley Quinn. Perhaps to pay homage to their original plan and to take advantage of the Grammy-winning singer’s talent, they incorporated music into the story.

Credits: Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux / Warner Bros. Pictures

Phillips reiterated that Joker: Folie à Deux is not a musical, but the element of music is essential to its narrative. Likewise, Lady Gaga refused to describe the movie as a musical. She claimed it is very different and that “the way the music is used is to give the characters a way to express what they need to say because the dialogue is not enough” via Deadline. The director further noted that the film is “mostly a jukebox musical”.

Phoenix and Gaga performed live and did at least fifteen reinterpretations of popular songs, and in doing so, the audience could sing along with the cast members. Original songs written for the movie could be a possibility so fans should watch out for that.

Fans Made Fun Of Lady Gaga’s Response After Claiming Joker 2 Isn’t A Musical

Credits: Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux / Warner Bros. Pictures

In the meantime, netizens picked on Lady Gaga’s answer about Joker 2 not being a musical when she gave a description that encapsulates how a musical works. Fans poked fun at her response on social media. Check out these tweets below:

She has literally defined what a musical is

That’s literally what a musical is meant for 😭

Uh which is exactly what musicals do…

So a musical?!? Lol

That’s what a musical is

Phillips explained that the incorporation of singing in the sequel was hinted at in the first film. Arthur Fleck danced a lot and he had music inside him, so seeing him express himself through melodies shouldn’t be quite a surprise for the viewers.

The director also revealed that when he was writing the script with Scott Silver, they already had Lady Gaga in mind, hence her casting.

Joker: Folie à Deux arrives in theaters on October 4, 2024.

Written by Ariane Cruz

Articles Published: 2448

Ariane Cruz, Senior Writer. She has been contributing articles for FandomWire since 2021, mostly covering stories about the latest movies and series. With a degree in Communication Arts, she has an in-depth knowledge of print and broadcast journalism. Her other works can also be seen on Screen Rant and CBR.