Lady Gaga in talks to play Harley Quinn in Joker sequel — which is reportedly a musical

Talk about a bad romance.

Lady Gaga is in talks to star opposite Joaquin Phoenix in the sequel to Joker, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline. A deal hasn't been finalized, but she'd reportedly be playing Harley Quinn, the Joker's love interest whom he falls for after she serves as his psychiatrist.

Margot Robbie has been playing Harley Quinn in the DC film franchise, including in 2021's The Suicide Squad. But Gaga's take would be a separate version of the character in a different fictional universe. Robbie played Harley opposite Jared Leto as the Joker.

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Director Todd Phillips announced last week this sequel is moving forward with the working title Joker: Folie à deux, a term that refers to "an identical or similar mental disorder affecting two or more individuals," according to the National Library of Medicine.

But the Reporter has also revealed a jaw-dropping new detail: even though the original Joker was a dark character study, the sequel is said to be a musical. The first movie was inspired by Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, so might the sequel be inspired by Scorsese's musical New York, New York?

For Gaga, the Joker sequel would be among the biggest film projects of her acting career thus far, coming off an Oscar season where she was unexpectedly snubbed for her performance in House of Gucci. The film doesn't have a release date set, so it remains to be seen when we'll get a look at Gaga's Joker face.