Back in September of 2017, Suicide Squad star Jared Leto revealed that he was “a little confused” by the news that Warner Bros. would be moving ahead with a standalone Joker movie, which ultimately saw Joaquin Phoenix coming on board for a new interpretation of the Clown Prince of Crime.
Well, if a report from THR is to be believed, the Oscar-winner’s confusion about the situation saw him attempting to block on the Todd Phillips-directed film by putting pressure on Creative Artists Agency, which at the time served as both his and Phoenix’s agents.
“Sources say the actor felt his agents should have told him about the Todd Phillips project earlier and fought harder for his version of Joker,” claims the trade. “Sources say Leto told his agents that they should stop the rival project, arguing that he wasn’t being treated properly as an Oscar winner.”
SEE ALSO: Suicide Squad director David Ayer shares alternate design for Jared Leto’s Joker
Given that it’s separate from the DC Extended Universe, it did make sense for Warner Bros. to recast the role – particularly as Leto’s incarnation of the character wasn’t exactly praised following the release of the David Ayer-directed Suicide Squad. Nevertheless, WB and DC Films did subsequently announce that Leto’s Joker would also receive his own solo movie, although both that and the planned Joker vs. Harley Quinn movie were said to have been scrapped earlier this year, leaving the future of his version of the iconic comic book villain up in the air.
Joker centres around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study but also a broader cautionary tale.
Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix (The Sisters Brothers), Robert De Niro (Goodfellas), Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), Bill Camp (Red Sparrow), Frances Conroy (American Horror Story), Brett Cullen (Narcos), Glenn Fleshler (Billions), Douglas Hodge (Penny Dreadful), Marc Maron (GLOW), Josh Pais (Motherless Brooklyn), Shea Whigham (Kong: Skull Island), Douglas Hodge (Robin Hood) and Dante Pereira-Olson (You Were Never Really Here).
Originally published October 20, 2019. Updated October 21, 2019.
