In addition to releasing a brand-new full-length trailer for Suicide Squad [watch it here], director David Ayer and DC Extended Universe executive Zack Snyder took part in an interview with USA Today where the pair discussed both the historical richness, and future for The Joker.
“It’s a scary character to tackle,” Ayer says. “This iteration of him, people will realize there really is a continuity of history – there is a lot of respect for what the Joker represents, who he is as a character. He is the best known villain in fiction so there’s an incredible responsibility there to also be faithful to what he is but at the same time push him into this next world, next time, next phase.”
Ayer also commented on the Batman cameo in Suicide Squad, first seen in some set photos last year. “The hairs stand up on the back of your neck,” he says. “If you’re a Batman fan, you have to love/hate the Joker because he’s the best nemesis ever. Just to have him on one of my film sets, it was a very memorable thing for me.”
Meanwhile, Zack Snyder assures us that Jared Leto’s portrayal of The Joker will be special, noting “I was very much looped in on the crazy stuff happening with that. The commitment to the role, you’re going to see that really shine through in a way that you’re not used to seeing actors in movies really go all the way with every little moment and every little breath. You’re going to get taken on a journey with Jared that I don’t know that everyone’s ready for but I think it will be amazing.”
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Suicide Squad hits theaters on August 5th 2016 and sees David Ayer (Fury) directing a cast that includes Will Smith (Focus) as Deadshot, Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) as The Joker, Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney (Terminator Genisys) as Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop) as Rick Flagg, Viola Davis (The Help) as Amanda Waller, Cara Delevingne (Paper Towns) as Enchantress, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World) as Killer Croc, Ray Olubowale (Resident Evil: Afterlife) as King Shark, Jay Hernandez (Hostel) as El Diablo, Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers) as Slipknot, Jim Parrack (Fury) as Johnny Frost, Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project) as Hugo Strange, Ben Affleck (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) as Batman, newcomer Karen Fukuhara as Katana, and Common (Selma) and Scott Eastwood (The Longest Ride) in as-yet-unconfirmed roles.
https://youtu.be/vDx6g5ua25E?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published January 20, 2016. Updated November 29, 2022.
