The disaster ofJoker: Folie a Deuxis starting to see some fallout, and not just in the form of its terrible reviews and hugely disappointing box office. In a new interview,Warner Bros.’ President of Domestic Distribution Jeff Goldsteinreacted to the catastrophic demise of what had been one of the most anticipated movies of the year, suggesting to theWall Street Journal:
The movie didn’t land with audiences the way we wanted it to.
The sequel to 2019’s $1 billion masterpiece brings Joaquin Phoenix back to the big screen as Arthur Fleck, a man who, for all intents and purposes, is the Joker of the world created by director Todd Phillips – well…for most of the story anyway. In his second outing, Phoenix’s damaged character is joined by a version of Harley Quinn played by eccentric singer – and Oscar-winner – Lady Gaga in what seemed to be an inspired casting choice.
However, the character of Harley Quinn has become increasingly popular in recent years, mainly for another actress' performance in the role. Obviously, Todd Philliips' take on the world of DC Comics' greatest villain and his would-be love does not play by the usual rules of comic book movies, and the very different take on Harley Quinn as portrayed by Gaga could have been just another thing that ended up hurting the movie for some fans.
Did Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn RuinJoker: Folie à Deux?
The answer to the question of what went wrong withJoker: Folie à Deuxis not one that can be answered in simple terms, as there are just too many parts of the film that failed to live up to expectations.Gaga actually received high praise from critics, even though they hated pretty much everything else about the film. However something about Gaga’s “Harleen Quinzel aka Lee” just didn’t perhaps fit with what the audience was looking for, and that could be more to do with a much more famous version of the Joker’s love interest than with Gaga herself.
Margot Robbie, prior to becoming the perfect “stereotypical” Barbie, has played Harley Quinn on screen more times than any other actress – discounting animated appearances by other stars such as Kaley Cuoco. Making her debut in 2016’sSuicide Squad,and reprising the role inBirds of Preyand James Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad, Robbie’s charmingly bonkers take on DC’s blonde bombshell with a love of causing havoc is quite something to live up to.
9 Actors Who Almost Played Harley Quinn in a DC Movie
Harley Quinn is a character that many actresses wanted to play, and several almost did. Here’s who came pretty close to playing the DC favorite.
Although there could well be a little bit of an unfair comparison going on between these two takes on Harley Quinn, that in itself is not the only reasonJoker: Folie à Deuxis now staring down the barrel of a gun that doesn’t come with a comical red flag with the word “Bang” written on it. From the incredibly divisive musical elements, tothe final twist that practically undoes everything the original movie delivered, there are many reasons audiences and critics have very quickly added this to their list of most disappointing sequels ever.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips' critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.
