Joker 2 Buzz is already here, and it’s good

Anyone who saw the first or especially the new trailer for Joker: Foil for Two has some idea that it’s going to be good. Director Todd Phillips and Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix returning to this unforgettable character, with the addition of Lady Gaga, just seems like a winning combination. And while the film won’t hit theaters until October 4, someone who’s seen it confirms that and more.

In addition to the release of the new trailer today, the prestigious Venice Film Festival has announced Joker: Foil for Two will be among the films shown at the festival. And festival executive Alberto Barbera told Deadline how impressed he was with the joker follow-up.

“It’s a continuation of the story, but it’s a completely different movie than the first movie,” Barbera said. “If you’re expecting the same thing in terms of violence or other things, you’re going to be surprised. When I saw the movie in LA in early February, there were four or five of us in the theater, including writer Scott Silver, and we were stunned, our jaws dropped at the end of the screening. It’s a darker movie.”

“A darker film” is saying something, because that first film is quite dark. And shouldn’t this sequel be a musical? Aren’t musicals usually the opposite of dark? “It’s a dystopian musical, or a musical of some sort,” Barbera continued. “I think it’s one of the most daring, brave, and creative films in recent American cinema. And I think it really confirms that Todd Phillips is one of the most creative directors working today.”

Let’s read that again. “One of the most daring, brave, and creative films in recent American cinema.” If that guy were a critic, and not promoting his own film festival, Warner Bros. could stop marketing right now and just move on. That’s not going to happen, of course, but it certainly makes us even more curious about what’s going to happen this fall.

Joker: Foil for Two opens on October 4.

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