Todd Phillips’ Joker with Joaquin Phoenix has been killing it on the big screen, immediately earning tremendous success upon its release in theaters. During its opening weekend, it set a new October record by drawing nearly $100 million in domestic ticket sales. The film has also emerged to the No. 9 spot in IMDb’s list of the highest-rated movies of all time, as ranked by its users. Still, one person who is not happy about the film’s release at all is the last person to play the Clown Prince of Crime on the big screen: Jared Leto.
Previously, Leto played the Joker in the 2016 movie Suicide Squad, co-starring with Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. At the time, there had been talk of bringing Leto back as the character in another DCEU movie, but the decision was eventually made by Warner Bros. to pursue Todd Phillips’ new vision for a Joker story instead. Now, according to a report from THR, it’s been revealed that the studio giving Joker the greenlight left Leto feeling “upset and alienated.” This suggests Leto had his heart sight on doing more with the character, only for the production of Joker to leave him out in the cold.
This would make sense, given that it now appears the folks at Warner Bros. are finished with Leto’s take on the character. While many of his Suicide Squad co-stars are returning for the upcoming sequel from James Gunn, Leto won’t be a part of it. Ben Affleck walking away from his version of Bruce Wayne also put the kibosh on having Leto’s Joker appear in a solo Batman movie as well, as The Batman with Robert Pattinson will be set in an alternate universe. It’s certainly a bummer from Leto’s point-of-view, but perhaps he’ll have some better luck with Sony’s Marvel Universe when he stars in the upcoming adaptation of Morbius, the Living Vampire.
Joker is now playing in theaters everywhere, with or without the blessing of Jared Leto. You can check out the official trailer for the film below.
Synopsis: Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks — the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he’s part of the world around him. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.
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