The first public footage of the highly anticipated 2024 film "Joker: Folie à Deux" (releasing on October 11), starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, has been released.

The masterpiece suspense entertainment "Joker" (2019), which depicts the shocking transformation of a lonely but kind-hearted man into a charismatic villain against the backdrop of a distorted society, was crafted by a team of Academy Award regulars. The film won the Golden Lion at the "76th Venice International Film Festival" and earned Joaquin Phoenix the Best Actor award at the "92nd Academy Awards." It also became a global phenomenon, surpassing $1 billion (150 billion yen) in worldwide box office revenue, and was a major hit in Japan, topping the weekend box office rankings for four consecutive weeks with over 3.5 million attendees and 5 billion yen in revenue.

The unveiled footage begins with the meeting of Arthur and Harleen. Arthur, who has transformed from a kind-hearted man into a charismatic villain, reveals his feelings by saying, "I am nobody, unlike you, I haven't done anything." The footage progresses to show the seemingly shabby duo sitting in the audience and then on stage, Joker and Harleen with clown makeup, dancing to a graceful melody, mirroring the poster visual.

Set to Tom Jones's "What the World Needs Now Is Love," the scenes alternate between Arthur's, and Joker and Harleen's, fantasies and reality. In the latter half of the footage, when asked about change, Arthur responds, "Let me tell you, I'm not alone anymore."

What does this world look like in Arthur's eyes? What has happened to Harleen, who seems to gradually transform as Arthur's madness "spreads"? The role of Harleen Quinzel, often depicted as Joker's psychiatrist and played by Gaga, is garnering significant attention.

While incorporating elements that characterized the original "Joker," such as distinctive gestures, TV set, and crowd frenzy, the sequel also features spaces reminiscent of a stage, creating an unprecedented, beautifully insane visual experience.

Recently unveiled, a poster visual captures Arthur (Joaquin Phoenix) with clown makeup as Joker, dancing with Lady Gaga's Harleen Quinzel (also known as Harley Quinn), with the new tagline "This World is Merely a Stage" added.

This might be inspired by the famous line from William Shakespeare's comedy "As You Like It," "All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players," known from tragedies like "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet." Is the world reflected in the eyes of kind-hearted Arthur a comedy? Or is his story a tragedy?

Additionally, a creepy and eerie short video (announcement teaser) of Arthur continuously laughing in the rain has also been released. Anticipation is only growing for this unprecedented portrayal of Joker.