Suicide Squad director David Ayer has shared his thoughts on Jared Leto’s portrayal of Joker, saying his “heart breaks” for the actor.
Ayer, who helmed the first Suicide Squad movie in 2016, recently responded to a follower on Twitter, who shared the opinion that Leto’s Joker “was too creepy for compassion, and his look didn’t convince everyone like Batfleck did, appearances matter.”
Ayer tweeted back, “For sure character creation is a tightrope. I took inspiration from the current DC comics. I find it incredible it’s still such a topic 5 years later. My heart breaks for Jared – he did magnificent work. Most of it remains unseen.”
Previous reports have indicated that there was a lot of drama behind the scenes during the production of Suicide Squad as Ayer and Warner Bros. executives struggled to settle on the appropriate tone, which apparently resulted in two different cuts of the movie.
After reportedly receiving feedback from test screenings of the two different cuts, Ayer and Warners’ execs sought to find “a very common-ground place,” and the lighter, studio-favoured option ultimately won out, leaving several Joker scenes on the cutting room floor.
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In 2016, Leto himself said there were “a lot of scenes” he wished had made it into the theatrical release but unfortunately didn’t make the cut, adding, “Hopefully they will see the light of day. But who knows.”
Shortly after the release of Suicide Squad, reports surfaced of a standalone Joker movie centred on Leto’s tattoo-laden version of the Clown Prince of Crime, with sources saying Leto would star in and produce the project.
However, less than a year after these reports, it came to light that Leto’s Joker film had “fallen by the wayside.” Instead, DC’s Joker origin movie starring Joaquin Phoenix was ushered onto the big screen a few months later.
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Phoenix went on to win an Academy Award for his chilling portrayal of the iconic DC supervillain, who has appeared in multiple live-action incarnations over the years. It’s fair to say that each first look at the character has provoked a different response — with each seemingly more divisive among fandom than the last.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Source: IGN.com Suicide Squad Director Says Most of Jared Leto's Joker Footage 'Remains Unseen'