Suicide Squad Director Says Jared Leto’s Joker Was Better When He Was Scary

Ever since the first official image of the actor in character was revealed before a single frame had even been shot, the knives were already out for Jared Leto’s take on the Joker. In the years since Suicide Squad was first released to big box office but disappointing reviews, the Academy Award winner’s divisive performance as the Clown Prince of Crime has been described as many things, but scary isn’t one of them.

Director David Ayer most likely wasn’t expecting unfavorable comparisons to a Juggalo when he was trying to put his own spin on one of the most unique and iconic villains in comic book history, and matters weren’t exactly helped by the huge amount of Joker-related footage that was ultimately left on the cutting room floor after Suicide Squad was butchered in the edit suite.

However, the eventual success of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign has fans confident that if they try hard enough, lightning might strike twice and Ayer’s original vision for the movie could end up receiving the same treatment. The filmmaker has already made it clear that the Suicide Squad he had in mind would have painted Leto’s Joker in an entirely different light, and now it seems some of his edges were sanded down at the studio’s request.

Ayer has been talking about Suicide Squad an awful lot on social media recently, probably in an effort to drum up some support to finish his own cut, and in a recent exchange with a fan, he basically admitted that the theatrical edition’s Joker came off as the completely wrong kind of clown.

I get it. His look worked better when he was scary – softening him broke the illusion. https://t.co/6fWprAC5RT

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) June 30, 2020

Given all the goings on in the DCEU over the last month, the prospect of the Suicide Squad Ayer Cut getting the go-ahead has only become more and more likely, and while there’s no guarantee that it will suddenly make the movie ten times better, it could at least add more depth to a Joker that many regard as the worst ever.