Recasting Jared Leto's Joker For Future DCEU Movies

Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) leaves the opportunity on the table for the DCEU to recast Joker down the line. Warner Bros' newest cinematic outing is a spinoff film featuring Margot Robbie's emblematic version of Harley Quinn, which also brings together the iconic superhero team the Birds of Prey. However, a big subplot of the film is Harley's high-profile breakup with Joker, which sets the context for her arc throughout the rest of the movie.

2016's Suicide Squad introduced Jared Leto as the Joker opposite Robbie's Harley Quinn, along with a host of questionable method acting techniques. Ayer crafted an entirely new depiction of the character, one based partly in cartel and gang culture. However, fans and critics weren't exactly too keen on Leto's performance as Joker, and the movie's overall negative critical reaction has led to certain aspects being de-canonized, with James Gunn's The Suicide Squad being referred to as a reboot of the franchise.

One such aspect of Ayer's Suicide Squad that is quietly being phased out of DCEU canon is Jared Leto's turn as Joker. Controversies abound surrounding that version of the character abound, from Leto's frustration at his lack of overall screentime in the film to, more recently, reports that the Thirty Seconds to Mars lead singer attempted to bury Joaquin Phoenix's standalone film Joker. With the role of Joker in the DCEU potentially left vacant, here are several talented actors worthy of an opportunity to bring their own flair to the character.

Lakeith Stanfield

Lakeith Stanfield has had a very prolific career at a relatively young age, with breakout roles in Atlanta, Get Out, and a soon-to-be lead role as Tybalt in Spike Lee's adaptation of the graphic novel Prince of Cats, a retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in 1980s New York. However, there's one role that Stanfield has already set his sights on: Joker. The actor has declared his desire to play Joker more than once, even posting several menacing videos in Joker makeup on his Instagram to showcase his enthusiasm for the character. While The Joker is typically displayed as white in the comics (before the makeup), Stanfield certainly has the presence to embody the madman, and a versatility displayed in his body of work that parallels The Joker's unpredictable personality.

Nicholas Cage

The 56-year-old actor is no stranger to superhero movie roles, having starred as Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider, and was almost Superman in a scrapped early 1990s film. However, Cage's career in Hollywood has been marked by notably manic, unhinged performances such as Mandy and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. While he hasn't always had the best choice in films, Cage is usually the best part of what he's in due to his wild and over-the-top presence. The Joker, by nature, is a theatrical and larger-than-life character, which could be embodied by Cage's own frantic acting style.

Bill Skarsgård

Although it might be cheating to swap one killer clown out for the other, Bill Skarsgård's performance as Pennywise certainly suggests The Joker's brand of cold cruelty masked as humor. The 29-year-old actor has been in a number of different roles in his short time in Hollywood, with a lot of them horror films or shows. This in and of itself could be an asset, as we've yet to see a film approach the Harlequin of Hate in a brutal and horrific way, such as Grant Morrison or Frank Miller's depictions of the character. Skarsgård's Pennywise always appears jovial and humorous, but underneath there's always a sense of pure hatred, something that Stephen King's creation shares with Batman's arch-nemesis.

Caleb Landry Jones

A young actor with a host of different roles underneath his belt, Caleb Landry Jones has gone from playing Banshee in X-Men: First Class to Jeremy Armitage in Get Out. Specifically, his performance as the latter highlights his ability to mask rage underneath a veneer of friendliness, something that makes Joker wildly unpredictable among Gotham City's other villains. Jones has also achieved relative critical acclaim as a performer with a back-to-back turn of three films: Get Out, The Florida Project, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. His presence could bring a critical darling factor to the role, similar to the draw of Robert Pattinson playing Batman.

Iwan Rheon

While it wouldn't be his first time playing a comic book villain (that would be his performance as Maximus in the misaligned Inhumans TV series), you'd be hard-pressed to argue that the viciousness and savagery showcased by Ramsey Bolton isn't shockingly similar to The Joker's notorious savage streak. The 34-year-old Welsh actor achieved mainstream status for playing arguably the most despised villain in Game of Thrones, one who's physicality and temperamental nature contributed to his memorability. Rheon's performance as Ramsey Bolton could translate extremely well to a character who's known for being as needlessly cruel as the Clown Prince of Crime, and Ramsey's affinity for dogs feels almost eerily similar to The Joker's fondness for his pet hyenas.

Martin Wallström

An incredibly successful actor in his home country of Sweden, Martin Wallström is an extremely unique performer, with the biggest evidence of his talent coming from his debut American role as Tyrell Wellick in Mr. Robot. As Wellick, especially within the first few seasons, Wallström embodies a snake-like calculative personality that could be radically different from any version of the character we've had on-screen. While each of our cinematic Jokers thus far have been manic, unpredictable, and impulsive, it would be a truly dynamic switch-up to have a live-action interpretation of the character tap into the master schemer version of The Joker built up by writers such as Scott Snyder. Wallström could certainly embody this aspect of the character, as Tyrell Wellick in Mr. Robot is a cold and socially detached CTO constantly plotting ways to ascend the ladder of success.

While there's no indication that Warner Bros. is planning on bringing The Joker back into the DCEU fold anytime soon, it's hard to believe that the character isn't planned for some sort of appearance, especially considering his off-screen presence in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). With so many talented actors in Hollywood and beyond, both young and old, a new interpretation of the character seems inevitable, either in Matt Reeves' The Batman or any of the planned Harley Quinn-centric spinoffs.

More: Harley Quinn Is Different (And Better) In Birds Of Prey Compared To Suicide Squad