I can only imagine how Jared Leto, the worst Joker in movie history, felt when he heard that Todd Phillips was making “Joker” and that he had cast Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role. Leto is a proudly talented method actor who, we must admit, had a rare hiccup when he portrayed Batman’s arch-nemesis in “Suicide Squad.” Truth be told, it wasn’t necessarily his fault as much as just the whole project being misbegotten from the very start.
There have been plenty of rumors from industry insiders about Leto’s displeasure at seeing another actor take on the character. Well now we can confirm that, according to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, Leto wasn’t only angry over the whole project‘s existence, but that he also went as far as pressuring his agents to kill the project.
As per THR: ”Sources say the actor felt his agents should have told him about the Phillips project earlier and fought harder for his version of Joker,” Masters wrote. “Sources say Leto told his agents that they should stop the rival project, arguing that he wasn’t being treated properly as an Oscar winner”
Leto has mentioned that he would be willing to play the Joker again, but the real question is, after Phoenix’s triumphant turn, are audiences themselves interested in seeing Leto’s take on the character come back to the big screen? I would bet the answer to that question would be a resounding nay.