Having recently watched a cut of director Todd Phillips’ upcoming DC sequel Joker: Folie À Deux, casting director Francine Maisler has admitted that she ‘didn’t suggest Lady Gaga’ for the character of love interest Harley Quinn when first casting the sequel to the highly successful Batman villain spin-off Joker. According to Variety, Maisler spoke at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival about her first thoughts on Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, and what fans can expect from her performance in the highly anticipated jukebox musical. It happened to be director Phillips, not Maisler, who chose pop sensation and Oscar winner to play the role, with Gaga’s eventual performance surprising the casting director for the better.

The sequel, which is scheduled to hit theaters later this year on October 4, 2024, will star Gaga alongside Joaquin Phoenix as the eponymous villain. Phoenix’s rendition of the Joker won him the Oscar for Best Actor in 2020, following on from Heath Ledger’s posthumous Best Supporting Actor win in 2008 for playing The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn is not the first live-action incarnation of the comic book character, with Margot Robbie recently playing the character in 2016’s Suicide Squad, 2020’s Birds of Prey, and 2021’s franchise soft-reboot The Suicide Squad.

What did 'Joker: Folie á Deux’s Casting Director Think Of Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn?

Before explaining her first thoughts on the casting process, casting director Francine Maisler assured fans of Gaga’s performance in Joker: Folie À Deux, saying, "He’s so good in it, you guys. She’s going to blow your mind." Maisler Continued, explaining her surprise at Gaga’s talent alongside co-star Phoenix. She said, "I didn’t suggest Lady Gaga. It wasn’t my idea. That was Todd Phillips, before me. But I will tell you, she’s really surprising — and really good. I saw it and I was really surprised. I mean, we all knew what she could do in A Star Is Born, but I thought, ‘Oh, well, that’s kind of in her wheelhouse.’ Something she could do and just be real. But this… Man, she’s good."

Maisler finished explaining her disbelief and "surprise" that Lady Gaga was able to retain on-screen presence beside co-star Joaquin Phoenix. Maisler said, "Joaquin blows your mind, but that she could keep up with him, and be real — and not just wiped off the screen by what that role is and what the performance is — shows she’s good."

Joker: Folie À Deux is expected to hit theaters October 4, 2024. Stay tuned to Collider for more information. You can find out more details about the film with our guide here.