Next August, David Ayer will, in his own words, introduce the moviegoing masses to comic book movie 2.0 with Suicide Squad, an ensemble piece that recruits the baddest of the bad for a dark and gritty adventure.
Currently incubating in post-production, we’ve been treated to a slew of photos that depict the various members of Task Force X during filming, though one crucial part that is rarely seen in these images is Jared Leto’s Joker – and there’s a good reason for that.
Much digital ink has been spilled regarding Leto’s rendition of the Clown Prince of Crime, and how radical his appearance is relative to the Jokers of old. Going one step further, reports have surfaced regarding the actor’s actual performance, with co-stars such as Will Smith (Floyd Lawton/Deadshot) claiming that the never actually meet Jared because he remained in character.
According to Atlas Entertainment Founder and DC producer Charles Roven, it was this self-imposed isolation that helped spur that cast of Suicide Squad on during filming, revealing that Leto’s take is one we ought to get excited for.
Per Collider:
“Look, you know, it was different, it was fun. The group first wasn’t sure because the AD’s had to call him ‘Mr. J’ to get him to come to the set [laughs]. And he did in many ways isolate himself from the rest of the group, but that’s really what his character was, the purpose of his character in many ways, other than when he was with Harley or trying to get Harley. It was very entertaining, it was fuel for a lot of good sport and a lot of laughs, and his isolation bonded the squad, and we wanted the squad bonded.”
While the black ops operations and jet-black tone of Suicide Squad would naturally lend Ayer’s feature film with the necessary credentials for an R rating, Roven noted that DC and Warner Bros. are aiming to secure a PG-13 rating with the villainous feature so as to align with the rest of the DC Expanded Universe.
“The intention of the film is definitely to be PG-13… We really want to make these films tonally consistent so that, as I said because this is a shared universe, at least our current thinking—and again, we’re not dealing in absolutes because while this is business it’s also a creative endeavor, so you want to leave yourself open to changing your mind, doing something different, being inspired, that’s the whole process of filmmaking is you have to allow for inspiration as well as having a road map for what you’re gonna do. So our plan right now is to make all these films PG-13. In some cases, you know, right there on the edge of PG-13, but still PG-13.”
David Ayer will whip Task Force X into shape when Suicide Squad lands in theaters on August 5, 2016.
