After Suicide Squad, everyone believed that Jared Leto was done with the DC Extended Universe. However, the actor recently said that the media blew the story out of proportion, and he intended to return to the shared universe. According to various sources, we can expect to see Leto as The Joker in both Suicide Squad 2 and the Harley Quinn/Joker spin-off.
But the rumors were based on more than just the actor's reactions after Suicide Squad was released. Warner Bros. surprised everyone with the announcement that they planned to make an origin film about The Joker. The studio reportedly wanted Martin Scorsese to produce and Leonardo DiCaprio to star.
The Killing Joke (Comic Vine)
Jared Leto expressed his confusion about the studio’s plans during an interview at a Destiny 2 launch event. He also mentioned that the shared universe was an expansive one, and that any actor should consider the role an honor:
I love the Joker. He's a great character and really fun to play. But it's a big universe, and when you play the Joker, there's no ownership there. You have the honor of holding the baton for a little while and then passing it off. There are other films that are in development, and I'm excited to see what comes from them (via CBM).
Check out the clip, starting at the fifty-sixth second:
At the moment, we have no information about the planned film beyond that it will be set in the 1980s. So it’s no surprise that there’s some confusion. But we guess that everything will clear up as more details are revealed.
Jared Leto as The Joker (Warner Bros.)
