"Joker" sequel to be a musical - Lady Gaga in talks to star as Harley Quinn — Page 2

Debuts to a 52 on Metacritic with 19 reviews

MysteriousLady said: "I was looking forward to this despite disliking the first movie because it sounded so bonkers, but this whole "we're not making a musical it's just characters who sing dialogue" thing that keep saying is souring me on it."

Given both Todd Phillips and Lady Gaga have repeated it, that sounds like a mandated talking point from either Phillips or WB to not alienate:

A) mainstream audiences who haven't been turning out to musicals

and/or

B) dudebro/incel Joker fans who think musicals are gay

KevinKlawitter said: "MysteriousLady said: "I was looking forward to this despite disliking the first movie because it sounded so bonkers, but this whole "we're not making a musical it's just characters who sing dialogue" thing that keep saying is souring me on it."

Given both Todd Phillips and Lady Gaga have repeated it, that sounds like a mandated talking point from either Phillips or WB to not alienate:

A) mainstream audiences who haven't been turning out to musicals

and/or

B) dudebro/incel Joker fans who think musicals are gay"

Sounds like Todd Phillips is just an idiot...

The hardcore fans who will get outraged will get outraged no matter what.

Frankly, I think that Phillips et al want this film to be seen as very serious and they think being labeled a musical would undercut that.

This was greenlit and went into production before social media started melting down about "sneaky" musicals like the Mean Girls adaptation. There was such a perceived backlash (seemingly more reporting about the complaints than there were actual complaints) it's likely made WB nervous. This was always a dicey proposition... the huge incel appeal of the first film (I'll never understand its jaw-dropping financial success and awards/acclaim) has almost no overlap with audiences who'll sit still for musical numbers. 

Play Esq. said: "
B) dudebro/incel Joker fans who think musicals are gay"

...and who are probably closeted."

If they're closeted, they likely love musicals. Look at Rod in Avenue Q.

But do people really think incels made Joker a hit?

TheatreFan4 said: "I mean when it came to awards, they only ever went to Joaquin and the music and virtually nothing else won so it's not like they rewarding the writing or directing that the Incels were obsessed with."

In addttion to its nearly $1.1 BILLION gross, it got 11 Oscar noms and 11 BAFTA noms; both absolutely bonkers for a "comic book movie" -- especially DC -- and beyond the far more well reviewed and well loved Dark Knight's nominations. Wins are great, but that level of nominations is nothing to sneeze at. Gives it quite the legacy (earned or not.) 

The reviews I’ve read indicate interspersed fantasy song and dance numbers with old time songs like “When You’re Smiling.” Which sounds to me like they’re deliberately doing a pastiche of All That Jazz and the Dennis Potter films, aka the sort of “ironic postmodern musicals” a film bro who doesn’t like musicals would still like.

jpbran said: In addttion to its nearly $1.1 BILLION gross, it got 11 Oscar noms and 11 BAFTA noms; both absolutely bonkers for a "comic book movie" -- especially DC -- andbeyond the far more well reviewed and well loved Dark Knight's nominations. Wins are great, but that level of nominations is nothing to sneeze at. Gives it quite the legacy (earned or not.)"

I always found it even more bonkers that it won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, one of the “Big Five” film festivals that tends to reserve its prizes for “arthouse” fare. That obviously doesn’t have the mainstream cultural cachet as the Academy Awards, but I think it gave the film more “weight” as a Serious Movie among cultural commentators than this DC Comics movie might have otherwise had. 

Well after reading that I’m not sure I can be bothered. 

TheatreFan4 said: "jpbran said: "TheatreFan4 said: "I mean when it came to awards, they only ever went to Joaquin and the music and virtually nothing else won so it's not like they rewarding the writing or directing that the Incels were obsessed with."

In addttion to its nearly $1.1 BILLION gross, it got 11 Oscar noms and 11 BAFTA noms; both absolutely bonkers for a "comic book movie" -- especially DC -- andbeyond the far more well reviewed and well loved Dark Knight's nominations. Wins are great, but that level of nominations is nothing to sneeze at. Gives it quite the legacy (earned or not.)"

We live in a world where Green Book won Best Picture and Bohemian Rhapsody Best Editing, undeserved nominations are certainly something to sneeze at. Joker was nothing but a bad Martin Scorsese movie with Joker smeared on it as told by a director of Bad Low Brow comedy movies. Oh my, that also sounds like the director of Green Book."

Did Todd Phillips shoot your dog or something? Neither Joker nor the idea of its sequel is my cuppa, but this rabid rant strikes me as a bit much. 

Lady Gaga will release Harlequin, a companion album to Joker: Folie à Deux, on September 27.

Tracklist:

1. Good Morning 2. Get Happy (2024) 3. Oh, When the Saints 4. World on a String 5. If My Friends Could See Me Now 6. That’s Entertainment 7. Smile 8. The Joker 9. Folie à Deux 10. Gonna Build a Mountain 11. Close to You 12. Happy Mistake 13. That’s Life

Well... would you look at that? Everyone hates it and its box office is tracking horribly.