The recent “Joker” movie has recently become the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time, reaching $849.1 million worldwide. It has managed to define the odds of being outside the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), being an R-rated film, and the fear of anarchy in cities across the world. Coming out of a budget of $62.5 million, this shatters records unlike before. However, no film comes without some incidents, even if they are from the previous actor. The last one to take on “Joker” in cinema was Jared Leto (“The Outsider”) in 2016’s “Suicide Squad.” He portrayed what some may consider, the worst version of the character ever seen. Even with the film being a disaster, no one seemed to suffer more than Leto himself.
The idea of a Joker solo film was discussed all the way back in 2016. It was rumored at the time that Leto was going to star in the film in order to give his character more depth verses what fans saw in “Suicide Squad.” But this was not the case, as the Joker film we got was also presented to Warner Bros. executives around the same time, and Todd Phillip’s version won out. Even though the film is darker and more sinister take on the fan-loved villain, Warner Bros. followed the example of Fox and “Deadpool” and went with a film that ended up working out in the end for everyone except Leto.
When Leto first found out about the film, he reportedly tried everything in his power to stop Phillips’ version from even getting the greenlight. Leto called his agents and even his music manager, Irving Azoff, to talk to the head of Warner Bros. and put an end to the film. Despite his efforts, Leto was not successful in any of his attempts. Leto even denies ever doing this, but it is hard to believe him. During the filming of “Suicide Squad,” Leto sent “gifts” to his fellow cast members including showing the entire cast a video of his character and giving them a dead hog. Warner Bros. was not pleased at Leto for his actions by any means. Even with these issues, Leto is not some musician-gone-actor. Leto has won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in “Dallas Buyers Club” and has been in multiple blockbuster films. Even an Oscar winner could not handle the behind the scene issues such as a rushed script, tensions on and off-set and trying to meet deadlines. With Phillips’ adaptation, executives were expecting the film to fail or for Phillips to quit due to budgeting reasons. Even Joaquin Phoenix (“Lou”) was never expected to sign on or quit after being frustrated with decisions being made. The project was left alone to rot and fall apart. But somehow, the duo made one of the best films of the year and possibly one of the best superhero movies of all time.
Coming back to Leto, the question is now, was the Joker solo film ever going to be his? The answer was not going to be no but as time went on and Warner Bros. wanting to capitalize on the hype for a Joker solo movie, it became a gamble that paid off big for the company. For Leto, Phoenix was the grim reaper for his time as the Joker. The end of a short and bitter era. Even if Phoenix was not going to star in the film, Leto’s actions on set and his reaction to, at the time, a potential movie without him as the led to a decision between the unknown and what was seen. A tricky decision that may be for the best, including Leto himself.
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