The short answer
The new Joker movie is called Joker: Folie à Deux. It is the sequel to 2019's Joker and the second film built around Joaquin Phoenix's version of the character. Warner Bros. put it in theaters on October 4, 2024.
What the title means
"Folie à Deux" is a French phrase that translates to "madness of two" or "shared psychosis." In clinical language it describes a delusional disorder shared by two people in close contact. The title points to the pair at the center of the story, Arthur Fleck and Harleen "Lee" Quinzel.
Who appears in the film
- Joaquin Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck, the man known as the Joker.
- Lady Gaga plays Harleen "Lee" Quinzel, an Arkham patient who pulls Arthur toward music and chaos.
- Zazie Beetz returns as Sophie Dumond.
- Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Steve Coogan, and Harry Lawtey fill supporting roles.
- Todd Phillips directs and co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver.
How it differs from the 2019 film
Where the first movie was a grounded character study set in a failing Gotham City, the sequel adds musical numbers and spends most of its runtime inside Arkham State Hospital and the courtroom that follows. The tone leans on fantasy sequences instead of street-level violence.
What Is the Joker's Origin Story? A Straight Answer
Keeping the two films straight
- 2019 release: Joker. A standalone origin story with Phoenix as Arthur Fleck.
- 2024 release: Joker: Folie à Deux. The sequel and the movie most people mean by "the new Joker movie."
- Any title without "Folie à Deux" attached is not the new one. Older Joker appearances belong to different actors and different franchises.
Where the name shows up
Ticket sites, streaming menus, and home video listings use the full title, Joker: Folie à Deux. The accent marks over the "a" cause trouble in some search boxes, so typing "Joker Folie a Deux" without accents usually returns the same result. Searching just "new Joker movie" can surface the 2019 film first, which is the most common source of confusion.