English comedian and actor Steve Coogan has popped up in the first trailer for Joker: Folie A Deux.
In the Todd Phillips-directed sequel, Joaquin Phoenix reprises his Oscar-winning role as it follows Arthur Fleck – known as the deranged villain the Joker – opposite Lady Gaga as the queen of chaos Harley Quinn.
In the clip, Phoenix is in the Joker’s signature make-up and slicked back hair with a jacket and yellow shirt and is seen taking to the stage and performing in a nightclub.
The American actor also sings the Burt Bacharach and Hal David hit What The World Needs Now Is Love as the Joker’s toxic romantic relationship with Quinn is explored after they fall in love at Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum in the musical fantasia.
Halfway through the trailer, Coogan’s character talks to the Joker, whom he appears to have been acquainted with.
Dressed in a white shirt and striped tie, the Greater Manchester-born comedian and actor, is heard saying: “Tell us, what’s changed, Arthur?”
The teaser sees Gaga and Phoenix run through the streets and dance against a moonlit sky and outside what looks like a courthouse as the Joker replies, saying: “I’ll tell you what’s changed – I’m not alone any more.”
The role of Coogan, who is known for his comedic and drama roles and has featured in actions films such as Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Tropic Thunder, in the film has not been disclosed.
The title of the movie, which is set for release on October 4 – exactly five years after the first film, is a French reference to when two intimately related people share elements of the same mental illness, such as delusions.
Gaga, who won an Oscar in 2019 for her original song Shallow from A Star Is Born, appears in front of a piano in the clip.
She says to the Joker: “I’m nobody, I haven’t done anything in my life like you have.”
The trailer ends with Quinn visiting the Joker in prison.
Gaga’s character is a different version of the antihero played by Margot Robbie in two DC Suicide Squad films and Birds Of Prey.
Robbie reportedly gave her blessing to Gaga in October 2022, as she said she was happy that the role, much like Macbeth or Batman “always gets passed from great actor to great actor”.
The full trailer comes after a 27-second long teaser of footage was released on social media in conjunction with the presentation of the Joker sequel at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
The teaser showed the Joker laughing maniacally while standing in a rainy prison yard.
The original Joker film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards in 2020, with Phoenix picking up the gong for best actor in a leading role and Icelandic composer Hildur Gudnadottir securing a win for music (original score).
In the original, Fleck begins as a comedian chasing fame as he struggles with mental health issues before turning into a crazed madman.
Set in 1981, it acts as an origin story for the Joker, who turns to a life of crime in Gotham City.
Meanwhile in the comics, the villain acts as Batman’s sadistic nemesis who is joined by love interest Quinn in his various crime sprees.
