Were you a fan of Jared Leto’s portrayal of The Joker in Suicide Squad? Well then I’ve got some heartbreaking news for you on this Valentine’s Day.
Forbes is reporting many things in its latest lengthy piece about upcoming DC movies. But most notable in the article is this: it seems Leto is out as The Joker in any future DCEU films. Here’s the juicy tidbit in question :
The Mad Love-type Joker and Harley Quinn film has also fallen by the wayside, as has the solo Joker project for Jared Leto's version of the character from Suicide Squad.
Leto’s tenure was tortured and ridiculed by critics and fans. While I have to begrudgingly admit that Jared Leto is a talented dude, his performance as The Joker just didn’t work for me (or many others). The fault wasn’t all his - turning the character into a tattooed gangster with a grill was a questionable approach from conception. And while his Joker was embarrassing and ill-advised, it was just one of the many problems with Suicide Squad. So don’t feel too bad, Jared. This mess isn’t all your doing.
No one can be too surprised by this news. The writing has been on the wall regarding Leto’s Joker for a long time. There’s no room for him in James Gunn’s Suicide Squad sequel and Matt Reeves’s The Batman is a clean cut with no Affleck or anyone from previous DCEU flicks. Meanwhile, Joaquin Phoenix is making his own, Scorsese-influenced Joker picture with Todd Phillips while Margot Robbie is off starting her Harley Quinn franchise completely free of Mr. J. So Leto’s Joker was running out of places to call home.
This is all happening as Warner Bros and DC shake up all their properties and plot a smart (and profitable) course ahead for the DC cinematic universe. They’re looking for hits, sure things with both audiences and critics. One gets the feeling that they’re pushing ahead and hardly looking back. Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman and Aquaman can come along but everyone else? Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Leto’s Joker was an experiment, a idea from outside the box. We have to commend them for that. But it just didn’t pan out and the thought of more films with that Joker didn’t seem to excite many. So we must also commend DC and WB for letting (Leto-ing?) this thing go.
