A new report from Variety suggests that Joker: Folie à Deux‘s budget has increased significantly from the original price tag.
The latest report comes in a deep dive on Warner Bros. Discovery and notes that Joker 2’s budget is now somewhere around $200 million, a huge increase over the original $60 million cost of the first film.
Part of the cost, Variety claims, is due to star Joaquin Phoenix earning $20 million to reprise his role, and Lady Gaga taking home $12 million to play Harley Quinn.
While the original film earned more than $1 billion at the box office, the report notes that musicals — which Joker 2 is reportedly set to be in some form — are notoriously hard to predict at the box office. With that in mind, the film’s large budget is something worth monitoring.
Who is in Joker: Folie à Deux?
Joaquin Phoenix reprises his Academy Award-winning role of Arthur Fleck/Joker for the sequel. Lady Gaga, who plays Joker’s love interest Dr. Harleen Quinzel, better known as Harley Quinn, will star alongside Phoenix. For the sequel, Zazie Beetz returns as Arthur’s former neighbor, Sophie Dumond. Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Harry Lawtey were also cast in undisclosed roles.
Todd Phillips is back to direct Joker: Folie à Deux from a script he co-wrote with Scott Silver. Released in 2019, Joker became a smash hit, grossing over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, Joker won two Oscars — Best Actor for Phoenix and Best Original Score for Hildur Guðnadóttir.
Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 4, 2024.
