Buried in The Hollywood Reporter’s scoop about Warner Bros. targeting Leonardo DiCaprio for its Martin Scorsese-produced Joker origin film was a reference to Jared Leto’s personal reaction to the standalone project. And it makes for some interesting reading.
File this one in the rumor cabinet for now, as THR’s report cites insiders close to The Joker and little else, but we’re hearing that Leto was seemingly “caught off-guard” by the plans – plans that may well launch a series of “auteur-driven” tentpoles centering on some of DC’s greatest characters. And it all begins with the Clown Prince of Crime.
In fact, Jared Leto, who has already reaffirmed his commitment to both Suicide Squad 2 and David Ayer’s Gotham City Sirens, voiced his displeasure from the off, and reportedly took issue with the “notion of multiple Jokers” existing simultaneously – regardless of whether they are situated within the DC Extended Universe, or not. There’s also the prospect of a spinoff movie dedicated to Joker and Harley Quinn, which has both Leto and his Suicide Squad co-star Margot Robbie attached to headline as the two titular nutjobs.
But when news of The Joker origin movie broke, Jared Leto was allegedly none too pleased about the idea, perhaps in fear that his own rendition of Batman’s arch-nemesis would be overshadowed – or, at the very least, undermined – by another A-list actor, particularly when you factor in today’s report about DiCaprio landing at the top of Warner’s wishlist.
Here’s that extract from The Hollywood Reporter in full:
Insiders say Jared Leto, the actor who portrayed the Clown Prince of Crime in last summer’s Suicide Squad and is slated to reprise the character not just for a sequel but for another spinoff movie (with DC villainess Harley Quinn), was caught off-guard by the plans. Leto is said to have made his displeasure with the notion of multiple Jokers known to his CAA agents, and rival agency WME has been using the concern to court him.
Still no official statement on the matter, but it’ll be fascinating to watch how this situation unfolds. Warner’s decision to launch a new and as-yet-untitled DC banner independent of the DCEU was always going to result in logistical headaches, but it seems some of the actors involved (principally Jared Leto) are a bit miffed about the whole ordeal. The Joker is currently without a release window at this time, but those pining for more of the 30 Seconds to Mars frontman can look forward to the release of Blade Runner 2049 in October.