It’s been an incredibly rough week for Warner Bros. and the DC Universe following the news that the freshly-appointed bosses had canceled their “Batgirl” film at Discovery in new cost-cutting measures (Discover acquired WB earlier this year). But what is the cornerstone move of any corporation once they deliver bad news or it gets leaked? Strategically offer “good news” to try and counter-balance the negativity of the bad press accrued yesterday.
So, that “good news” something to distract fans with? Todd Phillips’ upcoming Joker film “Joker: Folie À Deux” has been given a fall 2024 release date. ‘Folie À Deux’ has been dated for October 4, 2024, the exact date the first film successfully arrived in 2019, going on to gross $335.4 million domestic and $1.07 billion globally—the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever. Clearly, Phillips and Warner Bros. are looking to repeat that success.
And repeat it, they might. ‘Folie À Deux’ is said to be a musical with Lady Gaga set to play Harley Quinn, the Joker’s girlfriend in the comics, albeit in one very toxic and f*cked up relationship. That sounds pretty bold, no? Joaquin Phoenix is set to reprise his role as Arthur Fleck, aka the Joker, and the script is once again being written by Phillips and Scott Silver (“Requiem For A Dream,” “The Fighter”).
So, as promised, Discovery and CEO David Zaslav want more Joker and more Todd Phillips, and they’re getting it. The question remains now: are their other desires in the works, too, aka Superman returning to the DCEU and finding a Kevin Feige who can run it all? Time will tell, but Dwayne Johnson, who plays “Black Adam” and Krypto in “DC League Of Super Pets,” is definitely pushing for Superman hard.
Finally, here’s a tidbit for the loyal reader who has read this far down and wants more related DC News. THR repeated a rumor they heard that says “Shazam! Fury of The Gods” and “Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom” are getting delayed again. Well, we’re told this is true, and it might be announced tomorrow during or after the Warner Bros. Discovery second-quarter earnings call, which is set to take place tomorrow afternoon (4:30pm ET). Stay tuned.
