It looks as though Joaquin Phoenix is the only Joker fans should expect to see on the big screen in the foreseeable future. Jared Leto portrayed the Clown Prince of Crime in 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad’, and while there were plans for him to reprise the role in additional DC Comics movies, it looks as if those plans have been scrapped, according to a report from Forbes.
James Gunn is now tackling ‘The Suicide Squad’, which is a reboot, not a direct sequel, and it is believed that Gunn will enlist an entirely new cast. In addition to that, plans for a twisted romantic film centered on Joker and Harley Quinn, and a solo ‘Joker’ movie featuring Leto have also reportedly been abandoned.
Margot Robbie‘s Harley will headline ‘Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn)’, and while there are rumors that this will be the first of three Harley-centric films, it is being reported that Warner Brothers is taking a more cautious approach and will wait to see how ‘Birds of Prey’ performs, before determining whether or not to keep revisiting Robbie and her character.
But appears that the studio is already done with Leto, who famously went full method to play the unhinged Joker in ‘Suicide Squad’. He also reportedly shot enough footage in the role to make at least one entire ‘Joker’ movie, only to have almost all of it wind up on the cutting room floor.
In 2017, it was announced that Martin Scorsese was producing a stand-alone ‘Joker’ movie, that did not take place in the shared DC Universe of films. Todd Phillips wound up directing that feature, with Phoenix in the lead role. That film is due out this year, on October 4.
Meanwhile, Leto has migrated to Sony to star in ‘Morbius’, based on the villain/anti-hero from Marvel’s ‘Spider-Man’ comics. That movie has not yet begun production, but is expected to any time now, as it is due to hit theaters on July 31, 2020. It was previously reported that this film would not conflict with Leto portraying the Joker for Warner Brothers, but that point now seems moot.
Are you disappointed at the prospect of never seeing Jared Leto’s Joker again?
