Joker: Folie à Deux Looks to follow the DC smash-hit JokerFurther explore Arthur Fleck as he embraces his role as Joker. One exciting new addition to the film is Lady Gaga playing Harley Quinn, who is often portrayed as the Clown Prince of Crime’s girlfriend and partner in crime. With Lady Gaga set to play the iconic character, it raises the question of why Margot Robbie isn’t. Robbie has been the face of live-action Harley Quinn ever since Suicide Squad In 2016, while showing up at various points in the DCEU timeline, but with the universe officially completed, and James Gunn’s DCU beginning to take shape, her role as the character is up in the air.
The DCEU’s Joker (Jared Leto) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) made their debut in David Ayer’s Suicide SquadBut only Harley Quinn returned for more adventures, while Leto’s Joker was reduced to an epilogue scene in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. After her debut in suicide squad, Harley Quinn directed her own movie bird of prey, and co-starred in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Harley Quinn returns to the big screen again, this time in the more grounded reality of Joker: Folie à DeuxLike a completely new take on the character.
Lady Gaga plays Harley “Lee” Quinn in Joker: Folie a Deux
Lady Gaga steps into the role of Harley Quinn Joker: Folie à Deux. Before For acting, Gaga rose to immense fame as a musician, but grew into a strong actress with roles in projects like A star is born And American Horror Story: Hotel. Harley Quinn could arguably be Lady Gaga’s most impressive performance yet, as her career history brings something new to the table for the character. with Joker: Folie à Deux With musical aspects in the story, Lady Gaga is the perfect choice to take on the role.
Lady Gaga will be able to make this character entirely her own.
Margot Robbie is no longer the only person to play a live-action version of Harley Quinn. Robbie was fantastic in the role, and essentially became synonymous with the character as the DCEU progressed. Lady Gaga is more than capable of carrying on Harley Quinn’s legacy, though, and Joker: Folie à Deux Is not connected to any other universe, meaning that Gaga will be able to make this character entirely her own.
Joker: Folie A Deux is not in the main DCU (or the DCEU)
Despite lasting almost a decade, the DCEU never found the expected success it should have had. After films like Suicide Squad And Justice League Underperformed either critically or financially, Warner Bros. began to change its plans for the DC Universe. This includes exploring different universes, where Each film would not necessarily take place in the main DCEU continuity.
Joker was the result of this idea as it is in its own separate universe, not connected to anything else except for its sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux. This is a similar situation to Matt Reeves’ The BatmanWhich is not tied into any other continuity, and is now being built upon with spin-offs like The penguin Expanding the universe. with Joker: Folie à Deux Not too fit into a specific universe, the film is free to take creative liberties with its iconic DC characters.
Don’t be shackled to one main universe Opens up the opportunity for multiple actors to play the same character. This is why the DCEU could have Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton as Batman while Robert Pattinson plays a different version in The BatmanAnd Jared Leto can play the Joker while Joaquin Phoenix does too. This means that Margot Robbie can continue to be Harley Quinn despite Lady Gaga also playing the character.
The DCEU ended in 2023, but James Gunn and Peter Safran are looking to take DC’s heroes in a different direction with the DCU. The newly formed DC Studios will explore a new era of DC on film and television after the DCEU failed to make a lasting impact. Elseworld projects like Joker: Folie à Deux And The Batman will still be produced, opening up a number of new possibilities along the way.
Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn is completely different
for the most part, Margot Robbie played a fairly comically accurate version of Harley Quinn. She was altered a bit to fit into the DCEU, but overall gets the main points of the character. This includes her as Dr. Harley Quinn, Joker’s psychiatrist who eventually becomes engaged to him. Robbie’s Quinn was Joker’s girlfriend in Suicide SquadBut quickly get in from him bird of prey, Which revolves around the fallout of that relationship.
Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn is different from other iterations of the character over the years. Unlike Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Lady Gaga’s version isn’t doctored in Joker: Folie à Deux. Instead, she is also a patient at Arkham Asylum, forming a connection with Arthur Fleck. She is also a fan of the Joker even before meeting him.
Even the tones are different for each iteration of the character. In the DCEU, Margot Robbie was free to explore Harley Quinn’s sense of humor while placing her in a fantastical setting. Joker And Joker: Folie à Deux Going in a much different direction than the DCEU, being a bit more gritty throughout and grounding the characters and universe as much as possible, missing the feel of comic book films in the same regard.
Will Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn Ever Return?
It’s hard to say for sure if Margot Robbie will ever appear as Harley Quinn again. Now that the DCEU is over and the DCU is officially underway, it might be hard to include her again. James Gunn is set to stop The Suicide Squad And peace maker Season 1 in the new continuity in some capacity, which keeps the possibility of her returning to the character open until news about who will play Harley Quinn in the DCU is announced.
Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn appearances |
||
---|---|---|
Movie |
Year |
Worldwide Box Office |
Suicide Squad |
2016 |
$745,744,980 |
Birds of prey |
2020 |
$201,005,552 |
The Suicide Squad |
2021 |
$167,097,737 |
One thing to look at, however, is the performances in each of her subsequent appearances. There was a downward trend for each one, indicating that Margot Robbie may not be as big a draw as Harley Quinn as once thought despite being essentially synonymous with the character. Of course, there’s nuance to this discussion, but it’s entirely plausible that Gunn and Safran want to start fresh with DC’s biggest characters, including Harley Quinn, who could push Robbie out of the role. The only thing for sure right now is that Lady Gaga is taking over the reins from Robbie Inn Joker: Folie à Deux.
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