Jared Leto Was Reportedly Upset About Joker Being Greenlit

A new report suggests that Jared Leto was “alienated and upset” when Warner Bros. and DC greenlit Todd Phillips’ Joker. While discussing how Martin Scorsese’s films influenced the newly-minted gritty DC Comics-inspired hit, THR reported that when former Warner Bros. head Kevin Tsujihara and former production co-president Greg Silverman greenlit the Joaquin Phoenix-starring movie, Leto felt left out in the cold.

Leto, of course, played the Clown Prince of Crime in Suicide Squad to what can charitably be called a polarizing reaction. He expressed interest before that film’s release of doing a Joker-centric film and said in 2017 after the greenlight to Joker that he was “a little confused” about what was going on with the character.

Phillips’ Joker doesn’t preculde Leto from returning to the role for future DCEU films, since his version and the new film take place in different universes. Joker is now in theaters.