Following the success of Todd Phillips take on the Joker origin story, in his 2019 Oscar winning film starring Joaquin Phoenix, he’s returned with an elevated piece of filmmaking.

Playfully naming the musical sequel Joker: Folie à Deux with French accents, it’s a bold new take on a comic book genre that badly needs the influx of distinct, new voices. Centering a story around the villian is unconventional to start, but reimagining the structure to play like a tried-and-true musical genre film takes it to new places.

The blockbuster hit that toppled $1 billion at the box office is now reaching for true Oscar glory. The 2019 Oscar Points surprise, with a whopping nine total nominations and ending Oscar night third in wins – Philips is attempting to let the lightning strike twice.

From the look of the trailer, it looks like an across the board contender once again. The majority of talent on the first picture is returning. Jeff Groth as editor, Lawrence Sher as cinematographer, and Phoenix reprising the titular role. The writing team has returned, with a few additions, and Phillips helms the project in totality.

On top of all that, bringing on Lady Gaga raised the profile of an already highly anticipated film. Gaga is an obvious mark for a Harley Quinn, and her sensibilities matches up with Pheonix’s alienating disposition. On paper, this is a good match of talent, and with this subject matter, it’s a fitting story.

Early predictions (of mine) suggest close to double-digit Oscar nominations. Expecting to hit big at the Golden Globes and quite possibly BAFTA again. It’s run last time hit surprisingly most places, including the prestigous Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. However, history suggest a sequel, especially one of comic-book IP, to fail with Oscar voters.

If the film hits artistically and commercially again, it could be an even bigger hit than before considering the confluence of people and events comoing together. Curious to see if the Joker audience will care for a musical interpretation, but nonetheless, this is cat nip to Oscar voters.

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