Joker Screen Test
Peñen Tegtmeier
Some reactions to a recent test-screening of Todd Phillips' Joker: Folie Deux have been shared online, and it sounds like the filmmaker has pulled off a worthy sequel to Warner Bros.' $1 billion-grossing original.
Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn is said to be "equal to Phoenix or even more central." Arthur Fleck supposedly never refers to her as Harley, "but a nickname derived from it." Both characters reportedly "perform songs as a duet, and some are just her singing. Songs are a mix of old and new."
This last part is very interesting. Can we expect some other familiar DC Comics characters to appear? We find it hard to imagine The Dark Knight himself showing up, but maybe some more of his villains from Arkham Asylum? We should have a better idea of what to expect after the first trailer, which is expected to hit next month.
While some fans are a little resistant to the idea of a follow-up to Phillips' dark psychological thriller being a musical, others have embraced the concept. We're still not sure exactly how these songs will be implemented into the story, but rumor has it that the narrative will be split between Harley and Fleck's skewed perspectives, so there's a chance the musical numbers will simply be part of the characters' delusions (Fleck imagined his entire relationship with Sofie Dummond in the first film, after all).
Whatever form the songs take, we have heard that the soundtrack will be "heavily inspired" by classic Liza Minelli musicals such as Cabaret, New York, New York, and That's Entertainment. This isn't really too surprising, since Lady Gaga is a big Minelli fan.
In addition to Phoenix and Gaga, Joker 2 will see the return of Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond, along with new cast members Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland and Harry Lawtey in undisclosed roles.
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Joker 2 stars Lady Gaga alongside Phoenix. While the movie is set to be a musical, fans were skeptical about it. But a recent update from an insider revealed that it will retain the prowess of the first installment which was a huge hit crossing the $1 billion mark.
Warner Brothers is confident in Joker 2 as they have poured a whopping $200 million into the Todd Phillips-directed movie (per Variety), a huge acceleration considering the $60 million budget of the first movie. Amid several reports on the film, a recent report from industry insider Grace Randolph revealed the test screening report.
Joker 2, officially titled Joker: Folie Deux which translates to shared madness of two, essentially hints at the madness of romance between Joker and Harley Quinn. Other than the duo, Zazie Beetz is set to reprise her role from the first installment, Steve Coogan, Brendan Gleeson, and Catherine Keener also joined the cast of the film.
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A Joker 2 test screening allegedly occurred, and reactions from the preview suggest fans of the first film will be pleased with the sequel, which may have some familiar faces alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.
Of course, fans are curious to see Lady Gaga's performance as Harley Quinn in Joker 2, and it appears the iconic actress and singer will not disappoint. "Gaga is indeed equal to Phoenix or even more central. No way to fraud her in supporting," GoldDerby posted. Another comment shared by Joey Mondo echoes this sentiment, with the user writing, "Gaga and Joaquin are on the same level in performance." Mondo also provided details on how the musical elements will be incorporated into Joker 2, writing, "The musical aspect is not presented in a conventional way. They sing, of course, but it works in a different pattern. Very risky, but [f***ing] genius."
On the other hand, only some were pleased with the first Joker film. Although it grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office and garnered accolades (including a Best Picture nomination and Best Actor win for Phoenix at the Oscars), some critics felt Joker was too similar to other movies, particularly Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. It remains to be seen if Joker 2 will win over those critics. Still, Phillips, Phoenix, Gaga, and the rest of the creative team are trying to ensure the sequel differentiates itself from the first film while sticking with the character-focused elements that made it a success.
In a short screen test shared by director Todd Phillips, Phoenix is staring blankly into the camera before cracking a slight smile. The camera then flashes to Phoenix wearing clown makeup, but not the traditional Joker white face and green hair.
The 43-year-old actor was recently photographed on the set of his new Joker origin film wearing a much more normal outfit than fans would expect from the over-the-top, outlandish Batman supervillain.
An alternate look at Jared Leto's Joker in Suicide Squad is revealed by director David Ayer. Rounding up some of the comic brand's most memorable villains in a movie, the film featured an ensemble cast led by Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Despite being a prominent figure in the movie's marketing, fans were disappointed when the Clown Prince of Crime was only given limited screen time. Still, the project's creative team put a great deal of thought into what Leto's Joker should look like.
While it received mostly negative reviews, Suicide Squad was a box office success, earning $746.8 million worldwide against a budget of just $175 million. This led to a sequel and multiple spinoffs being put into development, including a film focused on Harley Quinn and Joker. However, the latter has since been (seemingly) abandoned - and between the arrival of this month's DCEU-separate Joker and the actor's new comic book movie gig as Morbius The Living Vampire in Sony's Morbius, it seems fans may've seen the last of Leto's DC villain on the big screen.
Taking it to his official Instagram account, Ayer shared a never-before-seen image of Leto as Joker during Suicide Squad's make-up test. Fans in the comments section are thrilled with this reveal, with some of them expressing their frustration that they will likely never see this version of the Clown Prince of Crime again. Others, meanwhile, are asking the filmmaker if he can reveal more behind-the-scenes snaps from his time working on the DCEU film. Check out the photo below:
This is not the first time Ayer has revealed test looks for Suicide Squad. Back in August, he unveiled early looks for both Harley and Joker, as well as the cast for Deadshot's helmet. It's not clear which of these designs came first, but the most notable difference is the absence of the "hahahaha" tattoo over Leto's eyebrows. However, in both images, the much-discussed "Damaged" forehead tattoo is nowhere to be found. It was ultimately included in the character's final design, although Ayer has since admitted he may have gone too far by adding it.
Although nothing's been confirmed just yet, there's a chance that Leto's Joker will appear (at least) one more time in the DCEU. The trailer for next year's Suicide Squad spinoff, Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), mentions him, and there's still a slight possibility he will make a surprise appearance in a future movie like James Gunn's The Suicide Squad. Still, until further notice, it seems his time with the franchise may already be over.
However, the weathered, aged portrayal shows a Joker who has been through a lot. The Joker is a character who is supposed to look like a dumpster fire. He was born out of someone that society has discarded and swept under the rug.
The combination of music and cinematography is indicative not of a superhero movie, but a weird clown movie at an indie film festival. This is much more flushed out than a lot of initial screen tests that are released to the public.
A screen test is a filmed audition in which an actor demonstrates their suitability for a role in a film or television show. Generally, actors are given sides, or lines of a script, to perform on camera. Screen tests are also utilized to see how wardrobe, make-up, colors, and other accessories may appear on an already casted actor.
Most fundamentally, screen tests serve to record an audition video of an actor on video. Oftentimes, actors may even send a self tape audition that they record themselves. However, before the digital age, auditions were typically held without the camera.
In the modern era of casting, it is common for all auditions to be recorded as an audition tape. This allows an actor to demonstrate their ability to perform on camera by reading screen test scripts, also known as script sides.
In addition to capturing how actors perform on camera, screen tests also provide audition tapes of potential actors for Producers, Executive Producers, and Directors who do not make an appearance at casting auditions. This is critical when making casting decisions in being able to look back at audition videos and compare the screen tests of two potential casting choices.
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