After Christopher Nolan wrapped up his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, many thought it would be a long time before Batman returned to film in a rebooted fashion. Those predictions proved false, of course, with a brand new Batman set to grace the big screen in 2016′s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Ben Affleck will play the caped crusader in this new incarnation.
Well, it turns out another prediction might likewise prove false. Nobody thought Warner Bros. would be quick to bring the Joker back to cinemas any time soon, after Heath Ledger’s turn as the clown prince of crime in The Dark Knight won an Oscar and the star himself tragically died shortly after completing his performance for the movie. Yet Jeff Sneider reports via The Wrap that Jared Leto is in talks to star in the upcoming super villain team-up Suicide Squad, which releases August 5, 2016. His reported role? The Joker.
Leto won an Oscar for his supporting performance in last year’s The Dallas Buyer’s Club, and had recently been reported as on the short-list of actors up for the lead role in Marvel’s superhero film Doctor Strange. It appears Marvel will cast Benedict Cumberbatch as their sorcerer supreme, however.
The Wrap also notes the rumors that director David Ayers is rewriting the script for Suicide Squad to include the Joker, and Leto is first in line for the part. Interestingly, the Joker appeared in the animated DVD film Batman: Assault on Arkham, That film featured the villain as an antagonist against the Suicide Squad and Batman. Warner wouldn’t just make a live-action version of the animated story, but it’s hard not to notice the coincidence and wonder if some loose inspiration might be taken.
I’d personally suspected the Joker was showing up sooner than anyone would guess, and I’ve mentioned that I thought he might have a cameo at Arkham in Batman v Superman. If not, then I fully expected him to appear in the solo Batman movie that’s already planned (and I’ll have more for you about that soon, FYI). The new version of the Joker won’t be based on Ledger’s characterization, but rather more similar to Frank Miller’s Joker from the iconic comic book series The Dark Knight Returns and modern comic iterations of the character.
Sneider’s report actually has some hedging, saying Leto is “circling… a key role… that could prove to be The Joker,” which leaves a lot of room for speculation about just how certain any of these reports are. Right now, the most we can say for sure is that Leto is rumored to be considering a role that might be the Joker. We’ve seen many casting rumors and reports fall apart before, of course, even ones that were supposedly sure things or when negotiations were said to be in final stages. So, for now don’t assume anything — about Leto or even about whether the Joker is definitely in this movie. That said, the return of the Joker to the big screen is imminent, and one of the most unique ways to bring him back would definitely be via a Suicide Squad film.
Leto would be a strong choice for the role, particularly the sort of Joker that we’ll see once the character makes his way back to theaters. And he’s actually the same age as Ben Affleck, so this would be a pairing that has Batman and the Joker as true peer.
What do you think about the reports of Leto as the Joker, dear readers? Sound off in the comments below!
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