For Warner Bros. and DC Comics, it is all coming up Joker in the past few weeks. Despite Wonder Woman and Justice League leading the charge for 2017 in the DCEU, all eyes seem to be on the rumors connected to Joker and the possible spin-off films for the character. While discovering the origin of the character would be interesting and seeing more with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is warranted given the bit we saw in Suicide Squad, you do have to wonder if the Clown Prince of Crime would have the weight to carry a film. He is still supposed to be a villain, of course.
That said, it does seem like Warner is interested and that means Jared Leto should get another chance to go extremely method, possibly alienating his co-stars in the process. But he’s not alone. As we reported, Leonardo DiCaprio is rumored to be up for the other Joker origin film, A separate film without Leto’s Joker and with a far different tone considering the caliber of talent being rumored for the project. But reportedly DiCaprio’s name being attached to the Joker isn’t sitting well with Leto according to The Hollywood Reporter:
Insiders say Jared Leto, the actor who portrayed the Clown Prince of Crime in last summer’s Suicide Squad and is slated to reprise the character not just for a sequel but for another spinoff movie (with DC villainess Harley Quinn), was caught off guard by the plans. Leto is said to have made his displeasure with the notion of multiple Jokers known to his CAA agents, and rival agency WME has been using the concern to court him.
While both the DiCaprio rumor and Leto’s unhappiness are just reports, it would make sense that any actor would feel threatened if their role was already being recast or split off after only one film. From a fan perspective, having stand-alone DC Comics films alongside the main extended universe is just common sense. Also the idea of multiple Jokers fits in with the background set up in the comics, particularly in DC Rebirth. The Joker’s origins have always been “multiple choice” and representations of the character have changed over the years. Just like we’ve seen different versions in past Batman films, there’s no reason why this couldn’t happen with newer films.
We’ll just have to see if it is a sticking point for Leto going forward or if a little convincing can help calm any ill feelings. At this point, he still could end up playing the character in both films and make this a moot point. Until another actor, DiCaprio or someone else, signs up for the role, it’s just another rumor in the grinder.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)