As Todd Phillips’ Joker continues its successful run at the box office, reports are still emerging about Jared Leto’s alleged discontent about another actor being cast as the Clown Prince of Crime.
Earlier this month, THR reported that the Suicide Squad star felt “alienated and upset” by the news that Warner Bros. was planning a Joker solo movie without him, and in a more recent article, the outlet relays word from sources that Leto went as far as trying to get the project canceled.
Apparently, the Oscar-winner didn’t just complain to his agents at CAA, who represent Phillips as well, but he also asked his music manager, Irving Azoff, to call the leader of Warners’ parent company. Though a source in Leto’s camp reportedly denied that the actor made such a request, another source with knowledge of the situation has said that Azoff never made the requested call. Since then, Azoff and Leto have parted ways.
Though Leto is still technically the official Joker of the DCEU, there’s a good chance that his role in the comic book franchise will forever be limited to his roughly 8 minutes of screen time in Suicide Squad. The upcoming Birds of Prey will see Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn making a fresh start after breaking up with the Joker, and while the antiheroine is set to return for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, the director has already hinted that Leto won’t be involved.
Regardless, you can catch the actor in another comic book universe when Morbius hits theaters on July 31st, 2020. In the meantime, we’ll see how Harley fares without her Clown Prince when Birds of Prey comes out on February 7th.
