The very moment David Ayer unveiled Jared Leto’s garish new look for Suicide Squad, the Internet was sent into a collective tail-spin. From the lime-green hairstyle to those glinting false teeth, it didn’t take much for naysayers to pigeon hole the early teaser. No matter, because one thing that’s since become immediately apparent about Leto’s turn as the Clown Prince of Crime is just how committed he is to the role, and the Oscar-winner even sought advice from revered comic book writer Grant Morrison about the high-profile gig.
Portraying a character such as the Joker obviously comes with a particular set of expectations, and the fact that Leto went to Morrison for some tips underlines just how instrumental his role is in Suicide Squad. For Leto, that will involve serving up a different take on the famed supervillain – one that distinguishes itself from turns by Jack Nicholson and the late Heath Ledger.
[zergpaid]Speaking to Comic Heroes Magazine (via Games Radar) here’s what Morrison had to share about the advice he gave to Leto before he set out to portray the infamous, unhinged and slightly loveable DC villain.
“It looks quite interesting. He [Leto] called me to talk about his approach to the character and I steered him in a few directions. I’m keen to see if anything other than slicked back hair and the Marilyn Manson vibe made it into his performance.”
Further in the interview, Grant Morrison touched base on the nature of comic book movies as a whole, and how they are leaning towards stagnation. To avoid this, he believes that studios and creative thinkers ought to take more risks when bringing famed superhero icons to the silver screen.
“I don’t think I’ve seen any great ones for a while. Age of Ultron was solid but naturally not quite the gamechanger the first Avengers was. We’re all familiar with the meat and potatoes superhero stuff, so I think it’s time they made Miracleman, Enigma, Flex Mentallo or something else that’s a bit more challenging.”
David Ayer’s Suicide Squad will introduce Task Force X warts and all when Warner’s villain-centric flick arrives on August 5, 2016.
