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Jared Leto may never play the Joker again

Harley Quinn (Robbie) and the Joker (Jared Leto) in happier times in ‘Suicide Squad’ (Photo: Clay Enos/Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection)
Harley Quinn (Robbie) and the Joker (Jared Leto) in happier times in ‘Suicide Squad’ (Photo: Clay Enos/Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection)

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone. Put in a call to your local tattoo removal service. Jared Leto may never play the Joker again.

A report by Forbes has revealed that every single upcoming Jared Leto Joker project has been put on hold – which is no laughing matter for the Oscar-winning actor.

According to the report: “The Suicide Squad sequel is moving forward as a sort of soft reboot to some extent, and is expected to have a new cast of characters and avoid direct tie-in to the first film’s events. Harley Quinn is not expected to return, and James Gunn’s script will be a new approach and rethinking of the property.”

“The Mad Love-type Joker and Harley Quinn film has also fallen by the wayside, as has the solo Joker project for Jared Leto’s version of the character from Suicide Squad. With Gunn on board as director, the film has plenty of room to bring a new flavor to the series and to the world of DC films as well.”

It’s hard to say why Warner Brothers have decided to continue with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn (who’ll appear in Birds Of Prey, which has the not-at-all annoying subtitle: ‘and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn‘) and not Jared Leto’s Joker, two characters who should be intrinsically linked.

One thing’s certain, we should have taken those recent leaked shots of Harley on the set of The Emancipation Of Harley Quinn, with her Joker tattoos either crossed-out or altered, more literally.

To add to the confusion, the cancelled Leto Joker movie was announced after the upcoming Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie, which will still be released in October.

Maybe Phoenix has put in such an incredible performance Warner Brothers have decided to recast the killer clown without telling anyone. Though we suspect that Joker movie is going to be a Logan-style standalone, for reasons we can’t go into without spoiling the film.

Joaquin Phoenix is the new Joker (credit: Warner Brothers)
Joaquin Phoenix is the new Joker (credit: Warner Brothers)

Still, whatever the future of the actor playing him, the character will return – Joker will be appearing in a Batman movie sooner rather than later, with Ben Affleck’s replacement getting his own Harlequin Of Hate to punch in the face. Let the speculation begin!


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