It Shows Jared Leto The Middle Finger
It’s no secret that Leto wasn’t happy with how his Joker featured so minimally in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. After months of build-up and stories of how he got into character by terrorizing his co-stars, the final result made him the laughing stock of the comic book community. Maybe the original tone of the film suited his portrayal better, but the end result made him look more like an edgelord than Batman’s greatest rival.
All jokes aside, Leto does deserve the chance to show the world what he could do with a better script and starring role. Unfortunately, we don’t think he’ll get that with Suicide Squad 2 or Gotham City Sirens, since both are properties tailored for other characters to shine. Also, what happened to him taking on the Bat? What’s the purpose of a Joker who doesn’t get to battle the Dark Knight at least once?
If the Mr. J origin film does indeed happen, it’s obviously an insurance policy for Warner Bros. and a solid eff you to Leto. The studio is flexing its muscles and saying that they don’t need him and can replace him with a younger actor if need be. Yeah, Leto could’ve handled his Suicide Squad disappointment a lot better in retrospect, but he did have valid reason to feel aggrieved when he saw how little he mattered to the final edit. Going forward with another Joker movie while he’s still involved, though, would prove to be quite a big douche move on the part of Warner Bros.