Joker 2's Lady Gaga Confirmed That Harley Quinn Rumor You Heard Is True

2019's chaotic drama "Joker" turned out to be a monumental success, securing awards left and right and cracking $1 billion at the global box office. To keep the momentum going, "Joker: Folie à Deux" — a film already surrounded by big fan theories — is on the way, with Arthur "Joker" Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix, who prepared for the role in some strange ways) once again in the spotlight. This time around, however, he won't wreak havoc alone. By his side is Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who he meets during his tenure at Arkham State Hospital. Just as "Joker" altered the infamous DC Comics villain, it has been confirmed that "Folie à Deux" will do the same for Harley Quinn.

Speaking with E! News, Gaga shared that her version of Harley will be referred to as Lee throughout the "Joker" sequel. "My version of Harley Quinn is Lee, and in many ways I think this will be a very different Lee for people and I'm excited for people to see the story we want to tell," she said. This confirms a rumor that dates back to July 2023, when cinematographer Lawrence Sher mentioned that Gaga only wanted to be referred to as Lee on set. He recalled on "The Trenches Talk" podcast that, as a result, he felt like he hardly got to meet her during filming.

Between "Folie à Deux" and another upcoming DC project, fans are in store for some fascinating Harley Quinn reimaginings in the second half of 2024.

Harley Quinn has been a DC icon for over three decades, having made her debut on "Batman: The Animated Series." Since then, she has appeared at the movies, in comics, in video games, and more, operating as both a villain and an anti-hero. Each take on the character has been a tad different from the last and added something new to her design, personality, or story to freshen things up. Lady Gaga's Lee in "Joker: Folie à Deux" is the latest in a long line of relatively drastic Harley reimaginings, though it's not the only one DC fans can expect to see in 2024.

The spiritual successor to "Batman: The Animated Series," "Batman: The Caped Crusader," is coming to the small screen at long last. Naturally, the series will focus on Batman as well as his various rogues, this time in a 1940s-era world. Harley Quinn will appear on the program, looking and acting quite differently from most other incarnations. Not only will she don a green and yellow outfit instead of a black and red one, but her personality will lean more cold and unsettling rather than quippy and dramatic. Her new attitude will help her fit right in on the show, seeing as "The Caped Crusader" may be more violent than fans initially expected.

For the Harley Quinn fans out there eager to see where the character will go next, "Batman: The Caped Crusader" is set to be released on August 1, while "Joker: Folie à Deux" will waltz into theaters on October 4.