By Brian Gallagher for Dailymail.com
00:35 06 Mar 2023, update 00:49 06 Mar 2023
Fans who spotted the filming of Joker 2: Folie a Deux downtown on Saturday were seeing double with Joaquin Phoenix spotted with another Joker.
The 48-year-old actor was spotted filming scenes as Arthur Fleck, while another taller man was seen in full Joker makeup and the red suit Arthur wore in the blockbuster original of 2019 joker.
Phoenix hasn’t been spotted with Lady Gaga – just weeks after director Todd Phillips released the first look at Gaga as Harley Quinn.
While it’s unclear who the taller actor is in the full make-up and red suit, it could very well be British actor Harry Lawtey, who at 6’2″ stands at six inches taller than the 5’8″ Phoenix, although the other actor’s identity has not been confirmed.
Phoenix and this unknown co-star were seen running through the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.
Phoenix was spotted on set wearing a light gray suit with a light brown dress shirt under a gray goatskin with a gray striped tie.
He was also seen with faded Joker makeup on his face, completing his look with matching brown pants and shoes.
The actor’s costume was quite dusty, with fake blood visible on his left ear and part of his chin as he relaxed between takes.
While no details of the scene were given, it’s possible there was some sort of explosion, which could explain the dusty debris on his suit.
Although most of his Joker makeup is gone, it was clear that he was fully made up at some point before these snaps, as you can still see parts of the red and white makeup.
His mysterious, taller companion was seen running around with green hair and white makeup on his face, donning the seemingly identical red costume with a yellow vest that Phoenix’s Arthur wore in the first film.
The actor completed his look with black boots as he ran through the streets, although it’s unclear what he and Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck were actually running from.
Production on the sequel began in early December 2022, although it’s unclear how much filming remains.
2019’s original Joker was a critical and commercial success, earning $335.5 million domestically and $1.074 billion worldwide, the first R-rated film to cross $1 billion.
Phoenix also won his first Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck, his first win after three previous nominations.
The original film, directed by Todd Phillips, was originally intended to be a standalone film, launching Warner Bros. DC Black, a series of darker films that are not part of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
However, before Joker was released in October 2019, Phillips and Phoenix had hinted at sequel possibilities.
The film opened with $96 million on its way to its billion dollar mark, on a budget of just $55 million, with the sequel green lit soon after.
Very little is known about the sequel so far, except that it will feature Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, with the return of Zazie Beetz’s Sophie Dumond.
The sequel also stars Brendan Gleeson, Jacob Lofland, and Catherine Keener in unspecified roles.
Warner Bros. has scheduled the sequel to release on October 4, 2024, exactly five years after the release of the original film.