All you SUICIDE SQUAD haters may want to grab a beer because you are not going to like this news. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jared Leto's controversial take on The Joker will return in Zack Snyder's upcoming director's cut of JUSTICE LEAGUE for HBO Max. The tattooed Clown Prince of Crime was excised from BIRDS OF PREY and given a gritty makeover by Joaquin Phoenix for Todd Phillips' JOKER, but it's Jared Leto who will once again don the grill and slicked back coif to torture Batman and his Super Friends in 2021.
The project, titled Zack Snyder's Justice League, will air as a four-episode event series next year on HBO Max. Reshoots are currently happening with Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher, and Amber Heard with Leto soon to be added to the mix. For the moment, it remains unclear which of the original film's actors will also participate in the filming of more footage, though I'm sure we'll hear all about it the moment they arrive on set.
While digging into THR's new report, I couldn't help but notice that Jon Berg, and Geoff Johns, will no longer be listed as producers for Snyder's new version of the original film. Sources close to the matter say that Berg and Johns have removed their names from the upcoming release on account of them not participating in the making of the new cut. This move is being viewed by many as a sign of respect toward Snyder's creative vision as well as the additional footage needed to complete the project. For the moment, Berg and Johns' exit from the project is not being linked to recent concerns raised by Cyborg actor Ray Fisher, who claims that the duo enabled abuse and misconduct by Whedon on the set of the 2017 reshoots.
I'm almost afraid to ask but what do y'all think about Leto's Jester of Genocide being added to Zack Snyder's Justice League? How do you think the character will find his way into the film? Will Leto play the part with as much vim and vigor as he did in David Ayer's Suicide Squad? For that matter, what do you think Ayer will have to say about all this? Will Leto being in Justice League lend more credence to Ayer getting his director's cut of Suicide Squad up and running? Does anyone else feel a headache coming on? Let us know all your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below.