Jared Leto will star in a solo Joker movie in the DC Universe. Warner Bros. is building out their comic book movie cinematic universe in a number of ways. One of the biggest points of emphasis appears to be fleshing out the universe of Gotham and its Dark Knight. Suicide Squad quickly introduced several major DC villains, including Jared Leto’s portrayal of The Joker. Despite his resume as an actor, his interpretation of the character did not sit well with everyone.

Despite the divisive response to Leto’s portrayal, the reaction has not made WB cool on the idea of continuing to use him. In fact, they also are developing a Joker origin movie that is separated from the unofficially titled DCEU. If one Joker solo movie wasn’t enough, now Leto is getting in on the action.

Variety reports that Jared Leto is set to star in and produce the as-of-yet untitled Joker solo movie. This move is based on WB’s interest in filling out the Suicide Squad’s corner of the universe, which also has seen them develop numerous Harley Quinn movies. This solo movie for Leto is without a writer or director, so it isn’t clear when it will actually start production and then hit theaters.

Looking at the moves new DC Films head Walter Hamada has made so far, this is by far the most surprising one. The version of Joker portrayed by Leto was polarizing to say the least, but there’s plenty of room for improvement. He was barely in Suicide Squad after all (much to the regret of director David Ayer), so giving him a solo movie could pave the way for him to have an expanded and better role in the universe moving forward. This project is also different from the Harley vs Joker movie that is also in development.

Possibly the most surprising element to this though is that Leto is getting a solo movie even though WB is also working on an origin story for The Joker with Joaquin Phoenix playing the part. The latter will not be connected to this universe, but it will undoubtedly be a tad confusing for general audiences to see Leto’s introduction in Suicide Squad, then Phoenix telling a different origin story, and likely followed by this Leto standalone.

There’s also the question of what exactly a Joker solo movie can really do for the character. After all, Joker is not a sympathetic character so it may prove difficult to crack a story where he’s at the heart of the film but still the psychotic villain. This is only the beginning of the project though, so stay tuned to Screen Rant for further updates on Jared Leto’s solo Joker movie.

MORE: All 4 Different Harley Quinn Movies Explained

Source: Variety

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