The first official teaser trailer for the new Joker film has just been released, but fans can’t help but notice one thing.
Is that… Steve Coogan?
Now, we’re not for one second suggesting that an actor as talented as Middleton‘s very-own shouldn’t be booking roles left, right, and centre – especially following the success of his chilling turn as disgraced broadcaster, Jimmy Savile, in the BBC drama miniseries The Reckoning last year, which earned him a well-deserved BAFTA nomination – but we can’t exactly say we were expecting this’d be his next appearance.
Film and comic book fans have been highly-anticipating the release of the next instalment in the Joker franchise since the first film, Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix in his Oscar-winning lead role, came out to critical acclaim back in 2019.
And now, their wait is finally over, as the first trailer for the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, has just been unleashed onto the world ahead of its release in October.
As you’d expect, within less than 24 hours since its release, the nearly-three-minute teaser trailer – which sees Phoenix reprise his role as Arthur Fleck / Joker, alongside Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn – for the upcoming musical psychological thriller film has already amassed several millions of views across all platforms it was shared on, and fans have been flocking in their thousands to social media and the comments sections to share their thoughts.
But, our personal favourite reactions to the trailer all lead back to one man… and that man, is Steve Coogan.
Coogan steals the scene with his hard-hitting one line: “Tell us, what’s changed, Arthur?”
Of course, with this being merely a teaser trailer, and Coogan’s currently-unnamed role only expected to be a supporting one, it’s probably not surprising that his appearance in the trailer takes up just two seconds of time – but within those two seconds, it appears he’s certainly made an impression.
Film fans on social media have been quick to share their surprise and comical reactions to seeing Coogan in the trailer.
“I can’t believe we live in a world where Steve Coogan and Lady Gaga are in a film together,” one fan wrote on X.
Another surprised comment reads: “Steve Coogan being in the Joker 2 trailer for 2 seconds is the strongest case for the film I’ve seen.”
A second fan commented: “I actually laughed out loud when Steve Coogan appeared in the Joker trailer,” while a third wrote: “Steve Coogan is the only reason I’ll be seated for Joker 2,” and a fourth added: “If this scene in the Joker 2 isn’t just Steve Coogan and The Joker seeing who does the better Michael Caine impression, then what the f**k are we even doing here.”
“Steve Coogan is in this, so Joker 2 is now part of the Alan Partridge Extended Universe,” another fan comically wrote on X.
Another fan wrote: “Steve Coogan caught me off guard.”
Basically, if we’re to try and sum the overall reaction of fans up in one simple word, that word would have to be shock.
To be honest, we think this fan on X put it best: “Steve Coogan was the last person I expected to turn up in the Joker 2 trailer, but here we are.”
Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled for a worldwide release on 4 October 2024.
Featured Image – Warner Bros. Pictures