Baku, August 5, AZERTAC “Joker: Folie à Deux” is hitting theaters in 2024, according to Variety.The sequel, which sees the return of Joaquin Phoenix as Batman’s notorious foe, will debut on the big screen on Oct. 4, 2024 — exactly five years after the first film was released.The follow-up to 2019’s blockbuster “Joker” will be a musical (the original was squarely a dark and gritty drama), with none other than Lady Gaga expected to play the Clown Prince of Crime’s co-conspirator Harley Quinn. “Joker” was supposed to be a standalone film, but after the R-rated tentpole generated more than $1 billion globally and earned Phoenix an Oscar, a sequel was pre-ordained. Naturally, the actor is asking for big bucks to reprise his sinister role as Arthur Fleck; Phoenix’s paycheck for “Folie à Deux” will be $20 million.Warner Bros. announced the release date Wednesday on the heels of news that the studio has scrapped its $90 million-budgeted “Batgirl,” despite the DC film being nearly complete. The axing of “Batgirl,” which will not be released in theaters or on HBO Max, rocked the industry because studios almost never shelve productions outright. The film’s directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah say they were “shocked and saddened” by the abrupt cancellation of “Batgirl.” Tax incentives were a driving force behind the decision to kill the DC spinoff.