Anyone who has watched either the first or especially the new trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux has some idea it’s going to be good. Director Todd Phillips and Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix returning to this unforgettable character, with the addition of Lady Gaga, just seems like a winning combination. And though the film won’t open in theaters until October 4, one person who has seen it confirms all that and more.

In addition to today’s release of the new trailer, the prestigious Venice Film Festival announced Joker: Folie à Deux will be among the films screening at the festival. And, the festival’s chief Alberto Barbera spoke to Deadline about how impressed he was with the Joker sequel.

“It’s a continuation of the story but the film is completely different from the first film,” Barbera said. “If you’re expecting the same in terms of violence or other things, you’ll be surprised. When I saw the film in LA at the beginning of February there were four or five of us in the screening room, including writer Scott Silver, and we were astonished, our mouths were open at the end of the screening. It is a darker film.”

“A darker film” is saying something because that first movie is pretty freaking dark. Plus, isn’t this sequel supposed to be a musical? Aren’t musicals usually the antithesis of dark? “It’s a dystopian musical, or a musical of sorts,” Barbera continued. “I think it’s one of the most daring, brave, and creative films in recent American cinema. And I think it really confirms Todd Phillips as one of the most creative directors working at the moment.”

Let’s read that back again. “One of the most daring, brave and creative films in recent American cinema.” If that guy was a critic, and not promoting his own film festival, Warner Bros. could stop the marketing now and just run with that. Of course, that won’t be happening, but it certainly has us even more intrigued about what’s coming this fall.

Joker: Folie à Deux opens October 4.

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