Harry Potter star Brendan Gleeson has joined the highly anticipated Joker sequel, and the timing couldn’t be better.
The future of the DCEU is still very uncertain, with recent delays of Shazam: Fury of the Gods and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, as well as the cancellation of Batgirl. Warner Bros. Discovery only has one DC film that is currently starting its pre-production process, which is the surprising sequel to their 2019 Oscars and box-office hit Joker.
RELATED: JOKER 2 TO BE A MUSICAL WITH LADY GAGA IN TALKS TO STAR AS HARLEY QUINN!
While rumors about this film have been swirling around for a while, Warner Bros. Discovery finally confirmed the greenlight of Joker: Folie à Deux during the controversy of the Batgirl cancellation. Before that, trades reported that Lady Gaga is in talks to join the sequel as Harley Quinn and that it would be musical, which was exciting for some fans and less exciting for others.
Now production is getting closer, and another high-caliber actor has joined the project: Brendan Gleeson.
WIZARD BRENDAN GLEESON JOINS THE ASYLUM
Deadline exclusively revealed that Brendan Gleeson will join the cast of the sequel. As is often the case, his role is being kept under wraps, but Deadline’s Justin Kroll commented on Twitter, that he thinks it’s likely that the actor is playing an “unknown character and someone linked to Arkham, possibly the Warden or a security guard.” Fans already started speculating that he could be playing the Batman villain Hugo Strange.
Gleeson joins Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, and Zazie Beetz, who will reprise her role from the first film.
RELATED: JOKER 2 IS OFFICIALLY A GO AND NEW TITLE REVEALED BY DIRECTOR TODD PHILLIPS
Brendan Gleeson is best known for his role in the Harry Potter franchise, where he played Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody since Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He also starred in In Bruges, an acclaimed dark comedy alongside Colin Farell and directed by Martin McDonagh. The trio just premiered their second collaboration The Banshees of Inisherin at the Venice film festival, for which Gleeson is getting awards buzz.
Todd Phillips returns as the director but also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Scott Silver. The latter penned the original film. Besides the original film, Phillips is best known as the director of the Hangover trilogy.
There is not much known about the story of the sequel other than it will take place in Arkham Asylum and will have musical elements to it.
Joker became the highest R-Rated movie of all time, grossing $1.07 Billion at the global box office. The film also was an Awards favorite as it garnered 11 Oscar nominations (the most of any film that year). Joaquin Phoenix finally won the big trophy for his portrayal of the troubled Arthur Fleck/Joker. Director Todd Phillips also garnered a Best Director nomination, while the film was nominated for Best Picture and several technical categories of which it won one for Best Score.
I am very intrigued by this sequel. At first, I thought that it was quite unnecessary, but the fact that this will be partly a musical excited me quite a bit. There never was a comic book movie musical and given the darkness of the first film, this will not be a typical musical. There is some huge potential there and it will of course be exciting to see Phoenix back in the role with the addition of Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn, which is poised to be a very interesting role for her. Brendan Gleeson is a great new addition and it will be interesting to see how he is involved in the plot.
RELATED: JOKER 2: FOLIE À DEUX GETS AN OFFICIAL 2024 RELEASE DATE
Joker: Folie à Deux is set to hit theatres on October 4, 2024. Production is set to start this December.
What do you guys think? Are you excited about the sequel? What do you think about casting Brendan Gleeson in a major role? Let’s discuss everything in the comments down below and on our social media.
KEEP READING: THUNDERBOLTS: THE DANGEROUS YELENA BELOVA TO REPORTEDLY LEAD THE TEAM OF ANTI-HEROES
Source: Deadline
