Number of songs set to feature in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ musical revealed
While the film industry has a tendency to play down the musical aspect of upcoming movies, this could prove to be an impossible task with Joker: Folie à Deux as the forthcoming Todd Phillips production is reportedly set to feature at least 15 songs.
Recent titles, including Timothée Chalamet’s Wonka, the Mean Girls do-over, and the remake of The Color Purple, all intentionally obscured the fact they were packed wall-to-wall with song-and-dance numbers, which came as a surprise to many audience members who saw a different film to the one they expected from trailers.
However, as the sequel to the highest-grossing R-rated release in the history of cinema and an iconic psychological comic book thriller, the backlash could potentially be louder if it happens with Phillips’ incoming follow-up.
Anyone who’s been following Folie à Deux since the beginning will be aware that the movie has always been described as a musically-inclined fantasy. Additionally, casting Lady Gaga, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in A Star Is Born, as Harley Quinn indicated the central cast needed at least one pair of powerful pipes.
According to Variety, the upcoming sequel is “mostly a jukebox musical”, and incorporates “at least 15 reinterpretations of very well-known songs” into its on-screen arsenal. One of the numbers is said to be ‘That’s Entertainment’ from Vincent Minnelli’s 1953 musical The Band Wagon. The most famous version of the hit was notably recorded by Judy Garland as the title track of her 1960 album.
Previously, Hildur Guðnadóttir won the Oscar for ‘Best Original Score’ for her work on the first Joker film. While repurposing over a dozen pre-existing tracks would offer the impression her workload has been diminished somewhat, the Folie à Deux versions will purportedly “infuse her distinctive, haunting cues” into each one, according to the fresh report.
Warner Bros has yet to offer an official confirmation or denial but with the Joker sequel set to hit cinemas on October 4th. Therefore, it won’t be too long until the first trailer arrives to offer an indication of how musical the movie may or may not be and more information becomes available.
Then again, it might follow the studio’s recent precedent and try to hide it as much as possible, which presents the dangers of countless filmgoers sitting down on opening night hoping to see more of the same from Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck and ending up with something else entirely.
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