Regardless of whether you loved or loathed his performance in Suicide Squad, Jared Leto is giving the Clown Prince of Crime another go.
The Hollywood Reporter has learned that the actor (and Thirty Seconds to Mars vocalist) is returning in one of his most infamous roles for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which is undergoing a new round of shoots to flesh out the director’s original, intended vision.
While the level of financing from Warner Bros. is unheard of for a film that released years ago (2017), the opportunity could allow Leto to redeem himself in the eyes of DC fans, many of whom consider his Joker to be one of the worst – if not the worst – takes on the character ever.
Leto’s version ditched many of the character’s classic tropes for a tattooed, gangster aesthetic, which was particularly jarring following Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson’s legendary portrayals. Some of his lines were really cringey, too. (Hunka hunka!)
It’ll be interesting to see whether Zack Snyder revises the character into something that’s darker and more sinister (after all, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice did hint that Leto’s Joker was the one who killed Robin). Erasing those hideous tattoos might be a good idea, too.
Joining Leto in the shoots will be Batman himself, Ben Affleck, as well as Ray Fisher (Cyborg) and Amber Heard (Mera). The new footage of Batman and Cyborg will certainly be welcome, as they were done especially dirty in Joss Whedon’s original release (Batman was turned into a clumsy quipster, while Cyborg’s arc was completely cut from the film).
HBO Max hasn’t announced a release date for Zack Snyder’s Justice League yet, but recent rumors have pointed to a September 2021 debut.