Published on 12:22 PM, December 12, 2022

First look for Joaquin Phoenix’s 'Joker' sequel revealed 

Joaquin Phoenix will once again be returning as the clown prince of crime, as production for "Joker: Folie à Deux'' gets underway. The film is a sequel to the Oscar-winning film, "Joker", which was released in 2019.

On Saturday, director Todd Phillips posted a snapshot of Joaquin Phoenix—in character as Arthur Fleck—to Instagram, with the caption: "Day 1: #Joker is our boy".

In the photo, Phoenix can be seen staring at the ceiling, shirtless, while his character gets his face shaved by what looks like an Arkham Asylum orderly.

 

While the plot of the sequel is unknown, Phillips and Scott Silver—co-writer of "Joker"—wrote the screenplay for the film.

The protagonist of the first film was Arthur Fleck, an aspiring stand-up comedian, who worked as a clown and struggled with mental illness. As circumstances deteriorated, he began to spiral, eventually becoming the infamous Joker. 

A hint for the sequel could also be found in the title, "Folie à Deux", which refers to a medical word for a mental disease that affects two or more persons—typically members of the same family.

"Joker: Folie à Deux" is set to hit theaters on October 4, 2024.