Leaked behind-the-scenes photos show that Joker 2 will be destroying the Arkham State Hospital.
By TEEJAY SMALL | UPDATED 13 HOURS AGO
The latest leaked set photos for Joker 2 seem to indicate that the Joaquin Phoenix-led film will be destroying the Arkham State Hospital. According to a post on Instagram from a Lady Gaga fan page, Arkham Hospital looks to be burning down, with alarms blaring in the distance. This should come as no surprise given that the first installment saw all of Gotham being ravaged by hordes of Joker loyalists and political opportunists in clown masks, proving that Arthur Fleck has the capability to turn a crowd into a tool of violence, whether he understands it or not.
The fan page in question goes by the handle @ladygaganownet, and sports an impressive following of over 76,000 followers on Instagram alone. The footage and behind-the-scenes set photos of Joker 2 include a New Jersey set building standing in for the Arkham State Hospital as it is destroyed. A host of commenters include members of the New Jersey community with personal experiences tied to the boarded-up hospital, including the fencing company that put up the current scaffolding keeping onlookers from interfering with the shoot and former employees of a business that operated out of the medical workspace.
According to IMDb, Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are set to star in Joker 2 alongside a number of new and returning cast from the 2019 original film, which is currently available to stream on HBO Max. Among those listed to appear in the film are Zazie Beetz, Catherine Keener, Troy Metcalf, and The Banshees of Inisherin star Brendan Gleeson. While the returning cast is confirmed in their role reprisals, and Lady Gaga is set to play Harley Quinn, this leaves a number of actors cast in unknown roles which have not yet been disclosed to the public.
With filming for Joker 2 only recently getting underway, there hasn’t been a ton of behind-the-scenes news yet. What we do know is that director Todd Phillips has returned for the musical sequel, with an expected theatrical release in October 2024. The film’s working title is Joker: Folie a Deux, meaning Madness for Two, likely implying the intense and abusive relationship shared by the Joker and Harley Quinn, as seen throughout many issues of the comics and in 2016’s Suicide Squad.
The dynamic between the Joker and Harley Quinn almost certainly begins in the Arkham State Hospital, with the Joker bringing the esteemed criminal psychiatrist into his world of madness, transforming her into another of his devout followers. Of course, the first film strayed in a number of significant ways from the Joker’s comic book source material, so Joker 2 will likely introduce Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn in a new and exciting way. Despite the many curveballs the film is expected to throw at audiences, it seems likely that the destruction of the hospital will come from a covenant of some sort between the romantic pair, with Harley Quinn aiding and abetting Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck in a daring escape from the facility.
