First look at Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux revealed

The first image of Lady Gaga in the sequel to Joker has been released.

Opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s chaotic anti-hero, the singer and actor is set to play Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux, the follow-up to the 2019 hit DC film.

As the love interest of Phoenix’s Joker, Harley Quinn is a henchwoman and is often used for comic effect.

In previous DC properties, including Suicide Squad and Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, the role has been portrayed by Margot Robbie.

After Gaga was announced as part of the Joker sequel cast back in August, fans have been feverish for their first taste of the “Stupid Love” vocalist in the part.

Late on Tuesday (14 February), director Todd Phillips released a photo of the actors together, in character, as a Valentine’s Day treat.

“Happy Valentine’s day,” he wrote as a simple caption.

Posting the same image on her Instagram, Gaga – born Stefani Germanotta – captioned the photo with the sequel title “Folie à Deux”.

The French term is used in medical contexts to refer to an identical or similar mental disorder impacting two or more people, usually the members of a close family.

Joker tracked the mental decline of wannabe comic and clown Arthur Fleck, after being socially and romantically rejected. His violent Joker persona emerges as a result, and he becomes a cult hero.

Phoenix won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance, and the film gained more than $1bn at the box office.

For the sequel, audiences are anticipating the story to continue the story of Fleck’s reign of terror in New York City.

Filming is currently taking place in New York and Los Angeles.

Joker: Folie à Deux will be released in cinemas on 4 October 2024 – five years after the release of its predecessor.