It seems like a lifetime ago that Warner Bros. and DC Films were planning to establish Jared Leto’s Joker and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn as two of the DCEU’s major players, and it’s incredible to think that this was indeed the studio’s intention as recently as late 2018.
Suicide Squad was a box office smash hit despite being torn apart in post-production and largely panned by critics, and WB remained keen on the idea of Joker and Harley Quinn for a while after that. Focus duo Glen Ficarra and John Requa were signed on to write and direct, and they’d even turned in a first draft of the script, with an eye to getting cameras rolling after Birds of Prey had wrapped.
However, like countless DCEU outings before it, Joker and Harley Quinn was shelved after fans blasted Leto’s divisive Clown Prince of Crime, DC Films underwent major creative and boardroom overhauls, and the focus shifted to establishing Ms. Quinn away from her beau, which also backfired when Birds of Prey bombed at the box office. Insider Daniel Richtman is now claiming, though, that the Bonnie and Clyde-inspired crime caper is back in development, although the tipster doesn’t provide any further details.
You’d have struggled to find Jared Leto’s name being linked with any DC movie before he was announced as a surprise late addition to the cast of Justice League, but ever since then, he’s been touted for literally dozens of them despite not having signed on for anything yet.
Richtman has already named a laundry list of potential vehicles for Leto’s Jester of Genocide to make his grand full-time comeback to the franchise in as well, so it’s best not to take anything at face value for now. At least until Justice League premieres and we find out whether his second stab at the Joker will lead to further opportunities.
