As Jared Leto is about to bring Morbius to life in cinema, the former Suicide Squad and Justice League actor talks about whether or not he'd ever play Joker again in the DCEU. After COVID-19 related delays, Leto is less than a month away from returning to the comic book genre in Morbius, the latest installment in Sony's Spider-Man Universe. Similar to Venom, Morbius takes the iconic Spider-Man baddie into the anti-hero route as Marvel's famous Living Vampire makes his live-action debut. However, prior to his Marvel gig, Leto had already familiarized himself with the superhero genre through the DCEU.
Many actors have brought the Joker to life in various live-action projects over the decades, with Leto being one of them. As Warner Bros. was getting the DCEU up and running, the actor/musician landed the role of Batman's famous archnemesis in 2016's Suicide Squad. Prior to all the BTS drama that happened before and after the release of 2017's Justice League, the studio had plans to have Leto's iteration star in his own Joker film and other DCEU projects. Instead, Joaquin Phoenix starred in a Joker origin story outside the DCEU while Leto's incarnation was phased out.
While Leto may be busy with his new Marvel adventures as Morbius for the next few years, would he ever be willing to reprise his Joker in a future DC movie? In a new interview with Variety, Leto was asked directly if he's still interested in portraying the Clown Prince of Crime. In response, Leto is leaving the door wide open for Warner Bros. to give him a call, stating that he would never want to turn down the opportunity to play a character that he gets attached to, including Joker.
"Never say never. For me, they’re like living, breathing people. I know they’re not, of course, but I get attached. It’s a shame to never do it again."
Even though Leto hasn't been back for any DCEU films, Zack Snyder's Justice League had Leto cameo as Joker in 2021. Despite the fact that Joker was never part of Snyder's original Justice League plans, the director ended up adding Leto prior to the cut dropping on HBO Max. While his return was brief, it left many eager fans wanting to see Leto's character again, especially in a project with Ben Affleck's Batman. While Warner Bros. has stated that there is no plan to continue the Snyderverse, it remains to be seen if that sticks following WarnerMedia's merger with Discovery. Depending on what the new leadership wants, there may be interest on their end that includes revisiting Leto's Joker.
Suicide Squad and the Snyder Cut hinted about the extensive history between Batman and Joker, including the death of Robin. It's also worth remembering that, like Zack Snyder's Justice League, there is an unreleased version of Ayer's Suicide Squad cut that includes more of Leto's villainous character. With both unseen content and potential ideas for various projects, there is definitely more that can be done with this version of Joker. As Leto is more than game to revisit his Joker in future DC films, the ball is in Warner Bros.' court.
Source: Variety
