Jared Leto’s Joker to Return in the Snyder Cut
The Snyder Cut of Justice League just got damaged. According to a Hollywood Reporter exclusive, Jared Leto will return as the version of the Joker he played in Suicide Squad. Leto will participate in the shooting of some additional footage, along with Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher, and Amber Heard. How the Joker will fit into the story is a mystery, but if Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and the theatrical cut of Justice League are any indication, it won’t really matter. Another tidbit the Hollywood Reporter reveals is that producers Geoff Johns and Jon Berg will not be credited on the Snyder Cut. The official explanation is that they took their names off voluntarily because they have nothing to do with this cut of the film, but the piece speculates that it could have something to do with Ray Fisher accusing them of “enabling” Joss Whedon’s abusive actions, whatever they may have been (if they happened). The Snyder Cut of Justice League – which is officially titled Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but nobody’s calling it that – will arrive on HBO Max as a miniseries sometime in 2021.
The Snyder Cut has a lot of goodwill going for it. Even I want to check it out – mostly because I appreciate how it came about, and I think Zack Snyder is a very cool guy who cares about his fans – and I hate most of the DCEU movies I’ve seen. So, why, with all of that, is Snyder doing something that I would guess almost nobody wants? Did anyone actually like Jared Leto’s Joker? Even those who enjoyed Suicide Squad seem to have thought that version of the character was ill-conceived and didn’t work. Why force him into Justice League? And it does seem forced. Granted, we haven’t seen the Snyder Cut, and it’s possible there’s a logical place for the Joker in a subplot or something, but based on what we know, I don’t see how he fits into the narrative. Is he going to be guarding one of the Mother Boxes? Will Steppenwolf cut a deal with him to perform some task instead of using his hordes of Parademons to do his dirty work? This just seems like a lot of trouble to go through for a character that isn’t overly popular (although I guess Snyder is hardly alone on that score).
Are you glad Jared Leto will be returning as the Joker? How do you think he’ll play into the story? Can Adam Beach’s Slipknot be far behind? Let us know in the comments and stick around Geeks +Gamers for more DCEU news!
