A trailer for the Joker 2 film, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga has blindsided fans, with an unexpected cameo from comedy legend Steve Coogan, 58.
The trailer for the sequel titled Joker Folie a Deux which landed last night, follows the 2019 film, which saw actor Phoenix take the Oscar for best actor.
Directed by Todd Phillips who brought us the first film, Interest has been ramped up by the casting of superstar Lady Gaga, 38, in the role of Harley Quinn.
But now British fans are even more excited to see that British funnyman Coogan, has popped up in the newly released trailer.
A flurry of fans rushed to comment on social media site X.
One viewer said: "How is he in a film with Lady Gaga?"
Another said: “That’s a film I’d like to see, an intense standoff between Joker and Partridge.”
One commentator said: “Damn it, you’re making me consider watching it.”
And viewer commented: “This is the opposite of a jump scare, but a flash of joy in my soul.”
But one fan in particular, seemed very pleased to see Coogan: “Steve Coogan being in the Joker 2 trailer for 2 seconds is the strongest case for the film I’ve seen. Imagine what would happen if Alan Partridge me The Joker.”
But while Coogan may be best known for his goofy news anchor creation, Alan Partridge, he has had plum roles in more than 40 films.
Back in 2006 he starred in the fantasy blockbuster, Night At the Museum, opposite Ben Stiller. In 2007 he had role in the historical film Marie Antoinette, starring Hollywood actress, Kirsten Dunset.
In 2018 he played Stan Laurel in Stan and Ollie a film about Laurel and Hardy opposite Oscar-nominated actor John C Reilly as Ollie.
With experience both in front of and behind the camera, Coogan appeared in and produced Philomena, opposite Oscar winner Judi Dench in the title role, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA for best actor.
There has also been his starring role in the film Alan Partridge, Alpha Papa in 2013, which was critically acclaimed and went to number 1 in the box office in Britain and Ireland that year.
So Coogan undoubtedly felt very at home on The Joker sequel Set.
Folie a Deux sees Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck continue his reign of terror in Gotham City with his new sidekick, Gaga’s Harley Quinn.
The trailer shows the pair cavorting on stage together to adoring fans. Other scenes show Phoenix’s character being arrested by police and a court hearing where his followers are rallying outside the courthouse with posters reading “Free Joker.”
The original film focused on the mental disintegration and decline of aspiring comic and clown, Arthur Fleck, whose social rejection gives rise to his anarchic Joker persona.
The film took more than 1bn dollars at the box office and became the most successful R-rated movie in film history.
