James Gunn Reveals Why He Did Not Bring Back Jared Leto for 'The Suicide Squad'
“He wouldn’t be helpful in that type of war situation.”
James Gunn finally reveals the real reason why he never considered Jared Leto reprising his role as Joker for The Suicide Squad. Leto’s interpretation of the Joker was first introduced in David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Gunn confirmed that never actually considered the DC villain for the film, “I just don’t know why Joker would be in the Suicide Squad. He wouldn’t be helpful in that type of war situation.” He also added that he wanted the film to be “its own thing completely.”
The filmmaker also revealed, “When Warner Bros. said they wanted me to do this, I watched the first movie for the first time, and I called them back and said, ‘What do I have to keep from this movie?’ And they said, ‘Nothing.’” The studio had actually given him the option to keep the original characters, however, Gunn decided to shake things up, recasting Idris Elba for the role of Bloodsport.
He commented on his decision to do so stating, “I wanted somebody who had that gruff, ‘Unforgiven’-type feeling about him. This guy who had been reduced from being a bigshot supervillain — he took Superman out of the sky — is now scraping gum off the floor at the beginning of the movie.”
Leto last reprised the role of Joker in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
In other entertainment news, Robert Downy Jr. set to star in drama adaptation series of The Sympathizer.
