Lady Gaga is putting on a happy face. Director Todd Phillips has shared a new look at “Joker: Folie à Deux,” posting an image depicting star Joaquin Phoenix in the arms of Gaga.

“Happy Valentines Day,” reads Phillips’ brief caption on Instagram. The image marks the public’s first look at Gaga in the film. Gaga also shared the image through her own social media presence.

Gaga is reportedly playing a version of the DC Comics character Harley Quinn, a psychiatrist who finds herself smitten with the Joker before taking on his villainous ways. Margot Robbie had previously portrayed Quinn in the “Suicide Squad” films and “Birds of Prey.” Kaley Cuoco voices the character on the ongoing HBO Max animated series “Harley Quinn.”

Gaga confirmed her involvement with the “Joker” sequel last August. The film has been described as a musical.

Phillips’ original “Joker” was a critical and commercial smash in 2019, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film in history. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was a major competitor at the year’s Academy Awards, earning 11 nominations and wins for Phoenix in best actor and Hildur Guðnadóttir for best original score.

The dramatic success of “Joker” quickly spurred speculation regarding a sequel. Although the landscape of DC media has shifted in the years since the original film, Phillips’ project has remained largely untouched by the newly formed DC Studios and its co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran. The “Joker” sequel will not play a role in the narrative continuity of other upcoming DC films.

Warner Bros. will release “Joker: Folie à Deux” in theaters Oct. 9, 2024 — five years to the day after the release of the first film.

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