Jared Leto presumably signed a multi-picture contract to be the DCEU’s Joker for a considerable amount of time, and given the Academy Award winner’s penchant for committing fully to any part and disappearing into many of his biggest roles, the actor surely had some grand designs in mind for his Clown Prince of Crime once Suicide Squad had introduced him to the masses.
Up until the other day when he was confirmed as a surprise addition to Zack Snyder’s Justice League reshoots, however, pretty much the opposite had happened. Leto went so Method in his approach that his co-stars started to get more than a little freaked out, while the majority of his scenes were left on the cutting room floor after Warner Bros. stepped in to salvage David Ayer’s troubled blockbuster.
The 30 Seconds to Mars frontman had already been confirmed for a spinoff alongside Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and was set to lend support in Ayer’s Gotham City Sirens, but instead he had to watch from the sidelines as both projects were abandoned. To rub salt into the wounds, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker then went on to score widespread critical acclaim and awards season glory, while Mr. J was written out of the DCEU in Birds of Prey with a body double standing in for Leto.
You’d fully understand if the 48 year-old felt as though he had unfinished business with the character, and insider Daniel Richtman is now claiming that the actor is lobbying hard for a Joker solo movie after being brought back in from the cold. The tipster doesn’t provide any further details, and whether he gets it or not is an entirely different question, but the DCEU has been making a habit out of the unexpected recently, so at this stage, it definitely can’t be ruled out.
