Jared Leto’s performance as the Clown Prince of Crime in Suicide Squad was easily one of the most controversial aspects of what was a very divisive movie as a whole. His peculiar off-camera behaviour didn’t help endear him to audiences, either. Director David Ayer recently backed up his star, but the monumental success of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker movie has further cemented the feeling that Leto’s future in the DCEU is on shaky ground.
Now, a fresh report from Fandom Wire suggests that the actor may well be recast down the line. As has been well-documented of late, Leto’s not best pleased with Todd Phillips’ origin film for the villain, with the actor allegedly doing his best to stop it getting made. The star is said to have been left “upset” and “alienated” by the idea of a Joker solo movie without him in the lead.
FW says that the previously discussed Harley Quinn and Joker flick is still moving forward though, so Leto may get his wish to return as the character. That said, their report states that if Warner Bros. can’t make amends with the actor, they’re not averse to recasting the role. This potential new star would then feature opposite Margot Robbie’s Harley in the couple’s movie as well as other future DCEU projects.
For the time being, we know for sure that Leto won’t appear in either Birds of Prey or The Suicide Squad. He has found himself another superhero movie gig, though, playing the lead in Sony’s Morbius film, which is due out next July. Of course, there’s no way of knowing if WB and Leto will see eye to eye again or not, but it certainly sounds like their number one priority right now is getting Phoenix back first for Joker 2.