In Bruges? In Arkham, more like.
Irish actor Brendan Gleeson has joined Joker: Folie à Deux.
According to Deadline, the 67-year-old actor, who has appeared in the Harry Potter franchise as well as Paddington 2 and In Bruges, will join the upcoming DC supervillain movie.
Unfortunately, details about Gleeson’s role remain firmly under wraps, but we do know that he’ll be joining an all-star cast including Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, and Zazie Beetz.
Joker was released in 2019 and saw Phoenix in the role of Batman’s most iconic villain, the Joker.
An origin movie of sorts, Joker told the story of Arthur Fleck – an unstable clown-for-hire who finds himself dissatisfied with the hand he’s dealt… and goes to murderous lengths to get what he wants.
Obviously, the alternate-universe stylings of the first movie meant that DC comic book characters were few and far between… so, it’s difficult to predict what role Gleeson might have in the sequel.
The first film was a huge success both critically and at the box office, earning a massive $1.07 billion at the worldwide box office and becoming the first R-rated movie to top $1 billion.
IGN’s review gave it 10/10 and said: “Joker isn’t just an awesome comic book movie, it’s an awesome movie, period. It offers no easy answers to the unsettling questions it raises about a cruel society in decline. Joaquin Phoenix’s fully committed performance and Todd Phillips’ masterful albeit loose reinvention of the DC source material make Joker a film that should leave comic book fans and non-fans alike disturbed and moved in all the right ways.”
Best Joker Comics to Read After Watching the Movie
The upcoming sequel will see Joker direct Todd Phillips return to the helm. He also co-wrote the script alongside Scott Silver, who penned the first film.
Although not much is known about Joker 2, some insiders have said that it could be a musical and will also be set within the legendary Arkham Asylum – not a bad bet since that’s where we last saw Arthur Fleck.
But for now, we’ll have to wait and see.
Want to read more about Joker 2? Check out the Joker: Folie à Deux teaser trailer and delve into what the film’s title could tell us about its plot.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
(Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly)