Since debuting as her in 2016's Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie has played Harley Quinn in two big screen follow-ups: Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad – and, at this point, feels pretty synonymous with the DC villain. When Joker 2 rolls around, however, the chaos-loving character will be brought to life by Lady Gaga. Now, Robbie has shared her reaction to the House of Gucci star taking on the role.
In a new interview with MTV News, the Aussie actor said she's "so happy" that someone else is going to get the chance to play Harley. "I said from the very beginning that all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters – the way Macbeth or Batman, always gets passed from great actor to great actor. Someone gets to do their Batman, or someone gets to do their Macbeth...
"I feel like, in not so many cases, are they female characters – Queen Elizabeth I, but beyond that, which I got to have a crack out as well, which I was honored to do. I was like, 'Wow! Cate Blanchett did Queen Elizabeth I. Now I get to.' It's such an honor to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters that other actors get to have a go at playing. And I think she'll do something incredible with it."
In Joker 2, which is officially titled Joker: Folie à Deux, Gaga will share the screen with Joaquin Phoenix, who is set to reprise his role as the titular Arthur Fleck from the first flick. Todd Phillips will be back to direct, as will Zazie Beetz, who's return to play Arthur's former "love interest" Sophie Dumond. Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Brendan Gleeson round out the supporting cast.
Most interestingly, the film will be a musical, as it explores the Joker and Harley's unstable mental states inside Arkham Asylum. While it's not necessarily connected to the wider DCEU, those who have seen Birds of Prey will remember a scene in which Harley fell into a vision of herself performing 'Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend'. She did so while trying to block out a beating from Ewan McGregor's villainous Roman Sionis, so perhaps the new movie will further explore that idea.
Scheduled to release in October 4, 2024, we've still got a little while to wait before we see what Warner Bros. and DC are cooking up with Joker: Folie à Deux. In the meantime, check out our breakdown of all the upcoming movies coming our way in 2022 and beyond.
