It seems that what everyone had speculated is coming to be and that Jared Leto is done playing the Joker.
According to sources speaking with The Hollywood Reporter for a lengthy piece on the current situation, Leto is more than likely not returning to the role. “How do you play the Joker you established following [Joaquin Phoenix]? It kind of ends his Joker run,” said a source
The article speaks with numerous unnamed sources about Leto’s displeasure over the greenlighting of Phoenix’s Joker. He reportedly went to his agents at CAA multiple times about attempting to stop the film from moving forward. It was the agency’s lack of ability to help that reportedly led to him changing his representation from CAA to WME recently.
Anyone who followed the production of Suicide Squad knows the stories about Leto sending odd gifts to the cast as he went deep into the character. He sent a rat to Margot Robbie, bullets to Will Smith and so on. According to one source with knowledge of the situation, this was partially to blame for why Todd Phillips’ Joker was greenlit over Leto’s solo film.
As to the upcoming Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad, the sources say don’t expect him to appear in either of those projects. This does present an interesting situation as someone dressed as Leto’s Joker filmed a scene for Birds. If it is included in the final cut of the film, this is more than likely the farewell to this version of the character.
None of this is to say that Leto and Warner Bros. won’t work together again. He is, in fact, currently filming John Lee Hancock’s Little Things for the studio.
In all, it’s an interesting article, and it fills in some gaps of the story we’ve all suspected. But the end result is, Leto’s Joker is probably gone for good at this point.
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter
