Catherine Keener to co-star in Joker: Folie á Deux

Today, in “Well, shit, now we have to actually get a little excited for Joker 2" news: Catherine Keener has joined the cast of Joker 2.

And by Joker 2, we of course mean Joker: Folie á Deux, if you want to get all French about it—that title presumably a reference to the mental disorder of the same name, a reasonably good approximation of the comic book relationship between the Clown Prince Of Crime and his on-again, off-again partner in romantic co-dependency, Harley Quinn. Plot details are being kept very mum—the movie’s not due out until October 2024, after all—but it’s not hard to infer that said relationship might serve as a major cornerstone of Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips’ return to the Jokerverse, with Lady Gaga serving as the movie’s female lead. (Zazie Beetz will also be back as the woman Arthur “Call Me Joker” Fleck develops an unhealthy fixation on, with Brendan Gleeson also joining the film’s cast.)

And Keener? Deadline reports that that Get Out and Being John Malkovich star has joined the film in a role described as both “major” and “secret.” If we’re fan-casting, it’s not hard to imagine Keener playing a higher-up at Arkham Asylum—where Fleck ends the first film, after giving a talk show performance so disastrous that it kicks off a series of riots that lead to the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. (Also, lots of other people.) In any case, the idea of Keener and Phoenix tangling is undeniably intriguing.

After years of being floated as an idea, Joker 2 got itself confirmed back in mid-2021. Keener, meanwhile, has been working steadily in recent years; her recent projects include Jim Carrey’s Showtime show Kidding, plus the Netflix series Brand New Cherry Flavor and Ryan Reynolds’ The Adam Project.