Todd Phillips shares first photo of Joaquin Phoenix on ‘Joker 2’ set

Arthur Fleck has returned.

Gotham City’s most notorious villain is officially back in business. 

On Saturday, director Todd Phillips commemorated the first day of shooting the forthcoming sequel to his highly successful 2019 film Joker, titled Joker: Folie à Deux, by posting a photo of Joaquin Phoenix as the titular clown prince of crime on Instagram.

In the image, an extremely battered and emaciated Phoenix sits shirtless with his head tilted skyward as he gets a close shave. 

Phillips captioned the post, “Day 1. Our boy. #joker.”

Representatives for Warner Bros., the film’s studio, did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.

Unlike its predecessor, Joker: Folie à Deux is a musical that reportedly takes place in Arkham Asylum, the infamous psychiatric hospital the Joker has landed himself in across many DC comics, films, and television installments.

Phoenix won’t be leading this film all on his own — its title, Folie à Deux, literally translates to “madness shared by two” and refers to a state of psychosis shared by two individuals. His character Arthur Fleck will be joined on his maddening quest by Lady Gaga, who stars as an alternate version of Harley Quinn, as well as Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, and Brendan Gleeson. 

This isn’t the first time Phillips has used social media to casually drop details about Folie à Deux. In June, he announced the sequel’s title by posting a photo of the film’s script alongside an image of a cigarette-smoking Phoenix flipping through it. He also confirmed Lady Gaga’s involvement by sharing an animated clip of Joker and Harley dancing in October. 

Joker: Folie À Deux maniacally laughs its way into theaters Oct. 4, 2024.