We’re looking forward to the Suicide Squad movie coming in 2016, in large part because it’s being handled by a perfect fit of a director, David Ayer of Training Day and Fury. We were also optimistic about the actors being sought for roles, including Ryan Gosling, Tom Hardy, Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Cara Delevingne. Which character they each might play was a secret, except in the case of Delevigne, who was reportedly in talks for Harley Quinn (and she had tweeted a picture of the character shortly before the news, giving more fuel to the rumor).
None of the cast is official, and we can now add one name to the list and remove the one I was most psyched about.
The Wrap reports Ryan Gosling has backed out due to the requirement to sign on for multiple movies, the same reason he backed out of Green Lantern and the role went to a different Ryan we haven’t seen lately.
Even more interesting is the reveal of which character Warner wanted him to play: The Joker. We had assumed Gosling was being sought for Captain Boomerang or Deadshot. It didn’t even occur to me that they might reintroduce The Joker already, even though the Nolan movies are in a different continuity and a different actor would be hired even if Heath Ledger were still with us.
I am surprisingly okay with The Joker coming back. But it’s who The Wrap says is negotiating for a key role “that could prove to be The Joker” that I’m uncertain of. Jared Leto. They say Jared Leto wants the role as an iconic DC Comics character, having been rebuffed by Marvel when he went after the Doctor Strange role. I’m not sure if Leto has the coiled menace for it, though. On the other hand, he just won an Oscar and hasn’t signed for a movie since. Maybe he’ll be a huge surprise, if given the role. The Joker does like surprises. And if the Delevinge rumor is correct, he’s already got a girlfriend waiting.
And this news certainly is a surprise. The original script by Justin Marks didn’t include The Joker, but David Ayer is rewriting it, and The Wrap says The Joker is rumored to be included in the rewrites. Well, whatever happens, it can’t possibly be the worst movie in the Batman universe…
