David Ayer shares a make-up test for Jared Leto's Joker for Suicide Squad. The 2016 film was Warner Bros. and DC's first attempt at a villain-centric film by bringing together some of the comic brand's antagonists. That includes the Clown Prince of Crime - albeit in a very limited manner.
While Suicide Squad received mostly negative reviews, it earned a whopping $746.8 million worldwide against a budget of just $175 million. Considering its financial achievement, Warner Bros. was quick to green light a sequel and multiple spinoffs - including a film focused on Harley Quinn and Joker. However, the latter has since been (seemingly) abandoned with Harley now spearheading Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) without her toxic love interest. On top of that, between the arrival of the DCEU-separate Joker and Leto's next comic book part as Morbius The Living Vampire in Sony's Morbius, not to mention James Gunn's soft reboot/sequel, The Suicide Squad, it's getting increasingly clear that he won't be back as the Joker - at least not anytime soon.
Despite this, Ayer still continuously shares snaps from the production of Suicide Squad, particularly behind-the-scenes images of Leto's Joker. In his latest Instagram Story (via /bewarey), the filmmaker revealed arguably the creepiest image of the character yet. Check out the photo below:
Looking closely at Leto's makeup, there are some key differences to his final look in the theatrical version of Suicide Squad, as well as previously revealed make-up screen tests for the character. However, arguably the biggest change is the tattoo on Leto's forehead. Instead of "Damaged," which was what fans saw on the big screen, it says "Blessed." It's uncertain what the ink was supposed to represent or why Ayer eventually changed it, but it sure isn't as cringeworthy as what ultimately ended up in theaters - something that Ayer even said to be a bad creative decision.
Coming into Suicide Squad, anticipation on Leto's Joker was very high, bolstered by reports that the actor went totally method for his preparations. The film's marketing took advantage of that by prominently featuring the Clown Prince of Crime, effectively selling the idea that he'd be a major player in the narrative. This is why the public was very upset upon learning that his involvement wasn't anything more than a glorified cameo. Admittedly, not everyone was a fan of what Leto did with the character. Some thought it was overtop and exaggerated, but considering the limited screen time for the villain in the movie, it seems unfair to base judgment on that one performance. Sadly, recent recent reports claim that Leto's days playing the iconic DC villain are pretty much over.
Source: David Ayer (via /bewarey)
