The upcoming Joker: Folie á Deux won’t take place in the mainline DC Universe. However, it also won’t use the DC Elseworlds intro, according to DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn.
In a recent reply to a fan on the Instaram-based social media platform Threads, Gunn confirmed that Joker: Folie á Deux won’t be using the company’s new Elseworlds logo or intro for the film. According to Gunn, the reason is simply that the logo won’t be used on anything until the films that he and Peter Safran got to work on begin coming out.
“Nope,” Gunn said on Threads in regard to the logo being used. “Won’t debut until the films we’ve worked on.”
Gunn and Safran’s DCU officially kicks off in 2024 with an animated Creature Commandos series, which does not yet have an official release that. Following that, Superman: Legacy, which is written and directed by Gunn, flies into theaters on July 11, 2025.
Projects like the upcoming sequel to The Batman, The Batman – Part II, will seemingly fall under the DC Elseworlds category, while Gunn recently confirmed Reeves’ upcoming Arkham Asylum series will be a part of the DCU. Gunn also said DC Studios plans to make more animated projects like 2023’s Merry Little Batman that fall outside of the DCU continuity.
Who is in Joker: Folie à Deux?
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.
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.
