Joker 2 was announced in 2022 with the title Folie a Deux, but the exact details for the UK release date and age rating for the sequel are a little uncertain. However, we’ve pulled together everything that we have to go on at the moment to give you the latest on the production, when it will come out and the age rating.
The announcement came from director Todd Phillips, who posted a picture of the script to his Instagram account. Sadly, he didn’t then go on to post pictures of the subsequent pages, so there’s little to go on in terms of the plot.
AdvertisementIt’s obviously going to pick things up with Joaquin Pheonix’s interpretation of the character in the aftermath of his escape from Arkham at the end of the first film. The question, though, is how much time will have passed. The title reveal relates to a shared mental illness between two people (folie means madness and deux is French for two), so that seems to imply he’s going to have a comrade in arms for the 2nd film.
That could point to the introduction of another characters like Harleen Quinzel (AKA Harley Quinn), but then it could just be a reference to the shared mindset of Joker and his supporters. It could also be a play on words with a deux sounding a lot like adieu, which is French for goodbye, which would make the sequel Arthur’s swan song (goodbye madness or joke).
Cast
As mentioned above, details are thin on the ground, which includes the cast list, but the Instagram post had a second image of Joaquin Phoenix reading the script overlooking LA. It would be kind of hard to make Joker 2 without him, so even if the image wasn’t there it would be logical to assume that a sequel would mean that he’s going to be leading the cast.
With Robert De Niro’s Murray dead, it looks like the 2nd film is going to reset the cast list somewhat. However, Zazie Beetz’s Sophie survived her ordeal with Arthur, when he entered her apartment building and it was revealed that the two hadn’t actually met before.
AdvertisementWith the Folie a Deux title, she might have been in contention for a Harley Quinn adaptation, but the latest images show that Lady Gaga is going to be the second half to Joker’s madness. Once details are confirmed by the production we’ll update the cast list with more names.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter by the way. You can see more news and updates on upcoming film releases. You can also Todd Phillips’ Instagram page at www.instagram.com/toddphillips for more on the sequel in the run up to the release.
Joker 2 UK release date
With the script just finished, the Joker 2 UK release date is bound to be a way off. That said, the speed of production for the first film means that we could see it as early as late 2023 or early 2024.
The success of the first film probably means that Warner Bros. might want to get Folie a Deux out sooner rather than later. Joker landed in the UK in October 2019 following a year or so of production. It would be tight to get things turned around for October/November 2023, but it’s definitely doable.
A lot depends on whether or not Phillips is going to keep to the tight character development and minimalist approach as in his first comic book adaptation. If he does then it makes it infinitely achievable without the restrictions of big set designs, special effects and post production.
Joker picked up a slew of awards and the sequel could well be in contention to do something similar, which means the release date might be influenced by the awards season. This makes late autumn or winter the best bet, so if it doesn’t come together for 2023 then you’ll probably have to wait until late 2024 to see Phoenix back in the role.
Age rating
AdvertisementAs with the release date, the Joker 2 age rating certificate won’t be announced for the UK by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) until much closer to when it will come out. That being said, there’s a lot we can take from the first film, which was given a 15 certification in both North America and the UK.
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It would make sense for the production to target a similar age rating, which would give Folie a Deux the best chance of living up to the box office success of its predecessor. If Todd Phillips plans to dial things up in terms of the darker themes of the story then this could push things up to an 18, but 15 seems like the most likely based on everything that we know so far.
That would mean strong bloody violence and language to take into account for the certificate notes, along with the more disturbing criminal elements of the character. The 2019 film had a very genuine visual tone and that is bound to be replicated in the second film, which makes the violence much more impactful than your usual DC Comics adaptation.
To keep tabs on the latest upcoming films you can also check out our movie news section. Alternatively, visit the official Warner Bros. website at www.warnerbros.com.
Runtime
Finally, as with the age rating, we’ll know a lot more about the runtime for Joker: Folie a Deux as we get closer to the release date here in the UK. But the first film was 2 hours and 2 minutes long, which is a good ballpark range for the sequel.