When everyone heard Jared Leto was cast as The Joker in Suicide Squad, some fans scratched their head. While he's obviously a talented actor, not everyone could envision him in the role. As the months until release went by, a bunch of stories came out from the set of the movie saying that Leto was going fully method for the Joker. He was basically always the Joker, on and off camera, never breaking character.
Other stories, some coming from the cast and crew of the film, even stated that he sent used condoms, live animals, dead animals, and other unpleasant things to his co-stars. Many felt he was going too far but it helped intrigue people and get skeptical fans excited to see what craziness he would bring to the role.
When the movie ultimately came out, however… it was revealed he was a fairly minor character in the movie who had the majority of his scenes cut out. Audiences felt not only was he underused but he wasn't very good because it was cringe worthy and it felt forced. It was all hype and it didn't really deliver.
Speaking a year later about the role, Leto stated that almost all of those stories were fabricated to build hype.
No… There’s so much hype and bullshit about [what happened with Suicide Squad], but I think it’s just a fun thing to talk about. Even when the movie came out, there was so much misrepresentation about what went down, about the ‘method acting’ crap – it’s just that 90% of it wasn’t true, and you can’t even… It takes on a life of its own. It was an incredible experience, everybody was amazing. Margot Robbie [is] one of the nicest people – one of the best actresses I’ve ever worked with, and I really loved working with her. I thought the scenes of what we did together were some of the most fun I’ve ever had on a set before… Everything’s great in that world, and I’m really proud to be a part of it.
It was all a ruse! Was it worth it? Not at all but that's beside the point. Jared Leto is set to come back as The Joker in Suicide Squad 2, Harley Quinn spin-off, and potentially The Batman all of which are in the early stages of development. The Joker himself will also reportedly be getting a movie without Leto via an origin crime film set in the 1980s.
The untitled project will help launch a separate DC movie franchise where any actor can come in and play one of the iconic roles. It allows Warner Bros to tell more one-off stories that they can't fit into the DCEU canon, similar to the Elseworld comic stories. The movie is set to be helmed by the director of The Hangover and produced by Hollywood veteran Martin Scorsese, director of Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street.
