The first image of Joaquin Phoenix in the Joker sequel has been released by the director, and it looks as sinister as where it left off! Joker was released in 2019 and received critical acclaim, taking home two Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score). Spoiler alert if you haven't seen the first film - the finale left us curious about the Joker's fate, as he had just killed Robert De Niro's character on live TV and incited the riot that saw Bruce Wayne's parents get shot... and we all know what that event causes! We left Arthur Fleck (the Joker) in Arkham Asylum, as it appeared he had just taken his therapist's life as he is chased down the hallway by security with blood over him. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/CmAGaZcyNFP/]] Per <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/joker-2-release-date-officially-announced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IGN</a>, the second installment was announced in the summer, with director Todd Philips co-writing the script with star Joaquin Phoenix. The new movie will be called Joker: Folie á Deux and Philips has confirmed that principal photography has commenced via his Instagram page. The image shows Arthur Fleck getting a shave, looking as weary and on edge as ever. Philips captioned the photo: "Day 1. Our boy." As <a href="https://screenrant.com/joker-2-image-joaquin-phoenix-arkham-asylum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Screen Rant</a> reported, the new Joker installment will be a musical, a complete change of convention from the first movie and a first for any DC film. <img class="size-full wp-image-1263183320" src="https://img.vt.co/2022/12/2AMJ01X-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1381" />[[imagecaption|| Joaquin Phoenix in Joker, 2019. Credit: BFA / Alamy]] This will be helped by the casting of Lady Gaga in the iconic role of Harley Quinn. No images have been released of the superstar in the role yet, but these are sure to come soon. Zazie Beetz will be reprising her role from the first movie as Sophie Dumond. She is the only character besides Arthur himself who is confirmed to be in the latest movie. Other actors confirmed to be in the project include Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, and Jacob Lofland who are involved in undisclosed roles. <img class="size-full wp-image-1263183321" src="https://img.vt.co/2022/12/2A1PDT4-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1714" />[[imagecaption|| The first Joker movie received two Oscars. Credit: Pictorial Press / Alamy]] Despite cutting back on budgets, <a href="https://screenrant.com/joker-2-budget-original-comparison-wb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Screen Rant</a> confirms that the budget for the upcoming Joker movie will be double that of the first. If the first image is anything to go by - it's going be another sinister, yet great movie! <h6>Featured image credit: BFA / Alamy</h6>

First look at Joaquin Phoenix in 'Joker' sequel is revealed

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