Joker 2 trailer viewers react to 'jump scare' cameo in new sequel

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The trailer for Joker 2 has stunned fans due to an extremely “unexpected” cameo appearance.

Todd Phillips has unveiled the first look at the sequel, titled Joker: Folie à Deux, which follows up the 2019 blockbuster that saw Joaquin Phoenix win Best Actor.

To date, the interest surrounding the film has been whether it will be, as has been teased, a musical – heightened by the casting of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn.

Perhaps this is why many of the trailer’s viewers have been left blindsided by the appearance of Steve Coogan in a key role; the Alan Partridge actor pops up in what has been branded a “jump scare”.

“Steve Coogan being in the Joker 2 trailer for 2 seconds is the strongest case for the film I’ve seen,” one viewer wrote, adding: “Imagine what would happen if Alan Partridge met The Joker.”

“Completely taken out by the sudden appearance of Steve Coogan in the #JokerFolieADeux trailer,” another added, with someone else stating: “That Steve Coogan jumpscare. Wasn’t expecting to see him in this.”

Meanwhile, another Joker fan wrote: “I can’t believe we live in a world where Steve Coogan and Lady Gaga are in a film together.”

Joker: Folie à Deux will see Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck continue his reign of terror in Gotham City, with Gaga’s Harley now by his side.

In the trailer, the pair are seen dancing and singing through the streets, with one moment showing them performing together on stage to adoring fans.

Other scenes see Phoenix’s character being dragged away by police and Harley attending a court hearing, where the Joker’s loyal fans are standing outside the courthouse with posters reading “Free Joker”.

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Another shot sees the pair dancing on a staircase on West 167th Street in the Bronx, recreating a scene from the last film, in which the Joker danced alone on a staircase.

At the end of the trailer, Gaga’s character visits Joker in prison, when she whispers, “I want to see the real you”, and draws a red Joker-style smile on the glass visitation booth partition between them using her lipstick. Fleck then moves his face to align his lips with the lipstick drawing and grins.

The 2019 film Joker tracked the mental decline of aspiring comic and clown Arthur Fleck, after he is socially and romantically rejected. His violent Joker persona emerges as a result, and he goes on to become a cult hero. Phoenix won the Oscar for his performance, and the film made more than $1bn at the box office to become the most profitable R-rated movie of all time.

The sequel will arrive in cinemas on 4 October 2024 – the fifth anniversary of the original film’s release.