Joaquin, Lady Gaga smoke, dance in new viral pics from 'Joker 2' sets

WASHINGTON: Hollywood stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are currently busy shooting for their upcoming musical thriller 'Joker: Folie a Deux'.

Recently few pictures from the sets of the film went viral on social media in which the duo could be seen smoking and dancing on the Bronx stairs and dressed up as their characters Joker and Harley Quinn.

According to Variety, a US-based media house, 'Joker: Folie a Deux' has been filming at locations across New York City for a couple of weeks.

Todd Phillips returns to the director's chair for the sequel, and the plot details of the film are still under wraps.

The film is rumoured to be a musical and to take place more prominently in Arkham Asylum, where Phoenix's Joker is sure to fall for Gaga's Harley Quinn.

Phillips' original "Joker" was a critical and commercial hit in 2019, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film in history.

It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was a major competitor at the year's Academy Awards, earning 11 nominations. Phoenix won his oscar for best actor and Hildur Gudnadottir for best original score for 'Joker'.

The dramatic success of "Joker" quickly spurred speculation regarding a sequel.

Although the landscape of DC media has shifted in the years since the original film, Phillips' project has remained largely untouched by the newly formed DC Studios and its co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran.

The "Joker" sequel will not play a role in the narrative continuity of other upcoming DC films, reported Variety.

Warner Bros. will release "Joker: Folie a Deux" in theatres on October 9, 2024 -- five years to the day after the release of the first film.