Leto to Return As Joker In DCEU

After a year of speculation over the future of the Joker in the wake of his DCEU debut with SUICIDE SQUAD, we might finally be getting some answers. Not only do we know where the character is headed with an announced solo project to be produced by none other than Martin Scorsese (without Leto), but we have confirmation on whether Jared Leto will return to the big screen again as the Clown Prince of Crime.

Leto teased us back in June regarding possible involvement with future DCEU projects - specifically, whether or not he'd appear in Gotham City Sirens. He was pretty hush-hush on the subject, but he did give this brief comment to Entertainment Tonight:

“I have no idea. I can't confirm... Maybe I know, but I can't confirm or deny. There are a lot of moving parts with that stuff and we'll see what happens next.”

Well, it seems like he was just avoiding leaking anything about what's going on behind the scenes at Warner Bros. According to the same report that confirmed the Joker origins project (with a different actor), Leto is confirmed to be returning to the DCEU as the Joker not only for GOTHAM CITY SIRENS, but also for SUICIDE SQUAD 2.

Leto has been teasing fans on social media for months and has continuously told interviewers that it would be fun to return as the Joker, so his official return is somewhat expected. But even though his reprisal of the role was expected by many, we don't really know what to expect regarding the details of his further involvement in the DCEU.

Despite fan speculation over his potential involvement in THE BATMAN, the confirmation for both GCS and SUICIDE SQUAD 2, indicates his involvement will directly be related to Harley Quinn and not so much with Batman. I think if the intention was to have the Joker tango with Batman once again, he wouldn't be appearing in SUICIDE SQUAD 2 at all. He would be appearing in THE BATMAN and/or JUSTICE LEAGUE instead.

Either way we look at the situation, it seems that Leto's current appearance will soon be exchanged for tattoos and green hair once again. After all, SUICIDE SQUAD 2 is sort of unofficially slated for release in 2019. There's still no telling when GCS will start production, but I would imagine it wouldn't be long after (or before) Squad 2.

They would be smart to get Leto's filming over quickly because of how in-demand he is in the wake of his 2014 Oscar win. Not only did his band Thirty Seconds to Mars just release a new single (which comes with a new album and tour), but he also has several projects in the works, such as an Andy Warhol biopic, rumored involvement in a new Tron project, a seat in the director's chair for the crime-thriller 77, and rumored involvement with the film adaptation of Bloodshot.

This should be an interesting story to follow as the DCEU continues to expand and add more films to the universe.

[Source: Deadline]