Jared Leto to reprise his role as the Joker in Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League’

In a strange turn of events, that shouldn't feel surprising at all, Deadline reported today that Jared Leto would be reprising his role as the Joker in Zack Snyder’s ‘Snydercut’ of the “Justice League” dropping on HBO Max. Almost every announcement regarding Snyder’s rendering of the 2017 “Justice League” revival has made headlines, starting with the announcement that came from DC’s Fandome Event in August clarifying that Synder’s take would be a 4-Part Series, rather than a new movie.

Snyder’s passion project also made headlines when the budget of the re-cut was released stating that the adaptation cost roughly $70 Million to make. HBO Max is fronting the finances to re-shoot and edit the footage from 2017 when Snyder was forced to exit the film due to personal reasons. Snyder has been on the record stating that his new version will use his shots and takes, and his alone. None of Joss Whedon’s footage will make the 4-Part Series due out September 2021 on the streaming site.

 Leto originally portrayed the iconic Batman villain of the Joker in 2016’s “Suicide Squad” which opened to outstanding box-office results but mixed reviews. The main critique of Leto’s Joker interpretation was that it was too over the top and almost comical, not capturing the true sinister nature of the Batman’s perhaps, most well-known, foe. While Leto’s performance in the 2016 DC action flick dominated sneak peeks and clips prior to the movie’s release, Leto’s performance as the Joker didn’t appear in very many scenes, most presumably cut.

 The news of Leto returning to the role is somewhat of a shock considering we wrapped 2019 with Joaquin Phoenix Oscar Winning Performance in “Joker.” However, the antics and shots of Leto in 2016’s “Suicide Squad” seem to be more fitting to the “Snyder Justice League” footage that we have seen so far. Jared Leto has yet to confirm his involvement in the project on his personal media accounts.

According to the Deadline article that broke the news, re-shoots for the project that is due out in the Fall of 2021 are already under-way. Ben Affleck, Amber Heard and Ray Fisher reprising their roles.

 More to come. Check out the “Zack Snyder Justice League” Trailer below and make sure to follow Film Speak for more updates on the coverage.