Joker: Folie à Deux Showcases Some Good Taste, Adds Catherine Keener

If you think about it, a "Joker" standalone movie about the clown prince of crime that's been blatantly filtered through some notable Martin Scorsese films and goes on to make a killing at the box office, all while destroying our collective ability to discuss movies like rational adults in the process, has to be the most Joker move ever. Regardless of one's personal thoughts on the quality of the Todd Phillips film, the casting of Joaquin Phoenix in an (apparently) Oscar-worthy performance certainly helped make it go down more smoothly than it otherwise might have. But you just knew that, after "Joker" earned over $1 billion at the box office, Warner Bros. would not long resist the siren call of turning a film that seemed as anti-franchise as possible into a franchise of its own.

In any case, if you're going to double down on a uniquely divisive comic book movie, you might as well go for broke, right? Securing Phoenix for the sequel alongside Lady Gaga, of all people, for the sequel titled "Joker: Folie à Deux" was a giant step in that direction. So, too, was the recent choice of Brendan Gleeson in an undisclosed role. Now, we've received yet another exciting casting decision with one of the most talented character actors in the last several years. 

Deadline reports that Catherine Keener has joined the cast of the "Joker" sequel in what's being described as "a major role." As much as I'd personally love to see the "Being John Malkovich" and "Get Out" actor chew the scenery with some sort of comic book role adapted loosely from the comics, the report indicates that her exact role is presently unknown. Check out the details below!

Nobody who's seen Spike Jonze's 1999 oddball classic "Being John Malkovich" is likely to forget Catherine Keener's incredible, Oscar-nominated performance — one that you could say contains quite a bit of "Joker" energy to it. (I mean, I wouldn't say that personally, but someone could!) In any case, Keener's addition to "Joker: Folie à Deux" is certain to raise eyebrows from interested observers who are anxiously waiting to see just what shape this film ultimately ends up taking. Rumored to contain "musical elements" and set largely within the confines of Arkham Asylum after Arthur Fleck's little stunt of an incidental social uprising at the conclusion of the original film, the "Joker" sequel seems to have removed all possible guardrails. Whatever film we get will almost surely feature the unfiltered sensibilities of Phillips and returning writer Scott Silver.

Deadline reports that production is set to begin later this December, with Warner Bros. eyeing a theatrical release in late 2024. The first film had the element of surprise going for it, receiving a buzzy Cannes premiere (of all places!) and seeming to justify the studio's commitment to shunning tightly interconnected universes in favor of handing the reins to filmmakers with strong visions. That approach, uh, probably isn't going to fly anymore under this new Discovery-led regime, but it was nice while it lasted, I suppose.

Expect "Joker: Folie à Deux" to arrive in theaters on October 4, 2024, probably with even more exciting talent still to be revealed.