A Joker Origins Movie is in the Works Without Jared Leto

Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment are reportedly in the early stages of development on a Joker origins movie which will be directed by Todd Phillips and won’t star Jared Leto.

It’s pretty safe to say Jared Leto’s Joker in Suicide Squad was underwhelming. There was so much hype surrounding his casting as Batman’s arch nemesis, and way too much talk of used condoms and anal beads, that it was bound to disappoint, and it certainly did. However, the blame can’t be placed solely at Leto’s feet. Yet, despite having already been confirmed for the Suicide Squad sequel, it seems as if Warner Bros. and DC Comics are looking to move away from Jared Leto’s Joker and take a new approach with the character in the form of an origins story movie.

According to Deadline, Warner Bros. are in the early stages of development a Joker origins movie which will be directed by The Hangover’s Todd Phillips and produced by Martin Scorsese. I know, it sounds rather hard to believe, but the story was then backed up by IGN’s sources, so it looks like this is happening. Phillips will co-write the script along with 8 Mile writer Scott Silver. Apparently this will be the first film in a new batch of standalone movies which will expand on some of DC Comics’ main properties and will not be linked to the current DCEU.

Jared Leto wont be playing The Joker in this movie.

Jared Leto wont be playing The Joker in this movie.

I have to admit that this all sounds a bit complicated. It basically means that they’ll be two actors playing different versions of the Joker, which in that character’s case may make sense since he has so many different origins stories, however, it might be hard for the average filmgoer who’s not overly versed in DC Comics lore to follow.

Deadline reported that this upcoming Joker origins flick will not feature Jared Leto, and that Warner Bros. is looking at the possibility of casting a younger actor in the role. The film will be set in Gotham during the early-80s and will be a gritty crime thriller, which explains Scorsese’s involvement who’s a master of this particular genre. Just look at film early work in such films as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The King Of ComedyThe intention is to move the tone away from that of previous DC Comics films and potentially start making more genre-based films, much like what Marvel is doing with the MCU.

There’s no word yet on a possible release date. What are your thoughts on this Joker origins movie?




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