Joaquin Phoenix has headlined the new Joker film, and Jared Leto reportedly wasn’t too happy with the snub.
In 2016’s Suicide Squad movie, to great fanfare, Jared Leto took on the iconic role of The Joker. Production stories ensued about his antics on set, and I remember seeing a preview of the movie where he was in attendance, where he walked in and sat apart from his fellow cast members. Not out of falling out, more his way of keeping in character.
But still, when the film came out, it was questionable as to what degree Leto – who’s no slouch, with an Oscar to his name – delivered on the character. And it seems that when Warner Bros decided to gamble on a lower-budget standalone Joker movie, Leto was never really in the frame for it.
Instead, Joaquin Phoenix takes on the title role in the huge hit movie, with Leto nowhere to be seen. And according to The Hollywood Reporter, he’s (understandably) not best happy about it. Its report says that Leto was ‘alienated and upset’ by the decision.
There’s little sign of Leto returning to the role either. In the forthcoming new Suicide Squad and Birds Of Prey movies, there’s no sign of The Joker appearing. It’d be a fair bet that we’ve seen the last of his portrayal.
Not of Joaquin Phoenix’s, though. Chatter is already underway about a second Joker movie with him in the lead…
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