While there are no qualms about Jared Leto’s acting chops, the infamy of his Joker can hurt Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Oscar-winning actor, Jared Leto, has had somewhat of a push-pull relationship with the two most popular superhero universes at the moment; the DCEU and the MCU. Jared played the Joker in the 2016 Suicide Squad movie and is set to reprise his role for the long-awaited Snyder Cut. Scheduled to stream on HBO Max next year, the Snyder Cut has officially been termed “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” and is supposedly the original version of the movie filmed by filmmaker Zack Snyder before his departure from the studio back in 2017.
Jared Leto Is Reprising His Joker For Snyder Cut
After a lot of controversy surrounding the Snyder Cut, a release date has finally been set for the four-part blockbuster and the reports are that Jared Leto will be reprising his role as the Clown Prince of Crime. While fans will be excited to see him play the titular villain once again, the Justice League might be the last time we will see Jared Leto as the Joker again.
Director Zack Snyder recently revealed that the Joker appearing in the Snyder Cut will have a new look altogether. Although Snyder’s knack for switching things up isn’t surprising, his decision to throw The Joker into the mix raised a buzz. “I wanted to, of course, honor what had been created with him.” Snyder said. “Because I thought it was really cool, but also, some water has gone under the proverbial bridge between when last we saw Joker in this sort of appearance. He’s a road-weary Joker, I guess that’s a way of saying it”. While a new-look Joker would be thrilling, it is unclear as to what role the menacing villain would play in the Snyder Cut.
Can Leto’s Joker’s Infamy Hurt the Justice League
Infusing such an important character would require skill and extra effort, especially considering that The Joker isn’t exactly capable of playing a support role. If he is going to have a major role in the movie, how would it tie into the bigger plot? Of course, if there are few people skilled in meandering scenarios like this, Zack Snyder is one of them. And with a talented actor like Jared Leto working alongside, whatever version of The Joker we get should be exciting.
Watch: Jared Leto transformation into The Joker | Featurette
However, with a changed treatment to Leto’s Joker in The Snyder Cut can also backfire as the character isn’t carved out better. Both Leto and David Ayer came out to state that their version of Joker was left out on the editing floor. Another thing to keep in mind is Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar-winning performance is still fresh in fans’ mind and Leto can fall in the pit of comparison again. Nonetheless, fans are very excited for the Academy Award-winning actor to redeem his character.
Leto rose to stardom in the 90s after a stellar performance as Jordan Catalano on the TV series My So-Called Life back in 1994. Through the years, Leto played lead and support roles across different movie genres, gathering critical acclaim and bagging various awards. Some of his iconic roles were in movies like Requiem of a Dream, Panic Room, Mr Nobody, to mention a few. Simultaneously, Jared Leto doubles as the lead vocalist and songwriter for the rock band, Thirty Seconds to Mars. For a while after the 90s, Leto left the acting scene to pursue his musical career with his band. The actor enjoyed a pretty successful musical career, releasing four albums with the band and selling over 15 million copies worldwide. In 2016, he returned to the acting scene as The Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad and then followed that up with a distinctive performance in Blade Runner 2049.
Extra cuts and scenes for The Snyder Cut are currently being shot with stars like Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot and Amber Heard reportedly coming back in for some new shoots. The movie is set to be cut into four parts and will premiere on the HBO Max streaming service in 2021.
