This Joker actor may have had a serious case of jealousy.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jared Leto, who portrayed the Joker in 2016's Suicide
Squad, reportedly attempted to sabotage director Todd Phillips' standalone Joker movie, which
stars Joaquin Phoenix in the title role.
The outlet cites anonymous sources that claim Leto was so hurt by and frustrated over the
news that Warner Bros. was moving ahead with another Joker film that wasn't going to feature
him as the infamous DC Comics baddie that he tried to kill the film before it officially
got off the ground.
Insiders with information about the situation and whom THR claims are, quote, "familiar
with Leto's behavior" have indicated that Leto lodged bitter complaints to his agents
at the Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles the same company that represents Joker director
Phillips after learning of the rival project.
"I don't want no beef."
"You don't want no beef?
You don't want no beef?
You don't want no beef?"
Leto is said to have asked his agents at CAA to stop Joker from getting made, allegedly
claiming that the mere existence of the project was something of a slap in the face.
The actor, who won an Academy Award for his work in Dallas Buyers Club, reportedly argued
that, quote, "he wasn't being treated properly as an Oscar winner."
Additionally, Leto allegedly asked his music manager Irving Azoff, an entertainment executive
who at the time managed Leto's band 30 Seconds to Mars, to contact, quote, "the leader" of
Warner Bros.' parent company.
It's unclear whether Leto requested Azoff to call Jeff Bewkes at Time Warner or Randall
Stephenson at AT&T, as both were head honchos at the time.
Regardless, the alleged reason behind Leto's inquiry to Azoff was to, quote, "get Warners
to kill the Phillips film."
It's also been reported that Warner Bros. executives were "nervous" about Joker, given
its dark tone and gritty, more violent approach to the namesake comic book character's origin.
The studio gave the project the greenlight nonetheless, but approved a budget of only
$55 million a sum that's small in comparison to other comic book movies and a budget that
some people at Warner Bros. were reportedly hoping would frustrate Phillips and cause
him to abandon the project altogether.
Of course, we know that didn't end up happening.
A source of Leto's has denied that the actor ever tried to sabotage the Phoenix-Phillips
Joker movie, while Azoff, who no longer works with Leto, declined to provide a comment when
THR reached out.
Word of Jared Leto reportedly trying to kill the recently released Joker film comes shortly
after The Hollywood Reporter claimed that the actor was "alienated and upset" upon hearing
the news that the project got the greenlight.
Leto reportedly also felt that Warner Bros. had been teasing him with the promise of his
own standalone movie, and was hurt that a different actor received one instead.
Now, it seems that the studio may not have been serious about putting together a solo
Joker film starring Leto, as sources close to the production of Suicide Squad have noted
that Warner Bros. "wasn't thrilled" with Leto's behavior prior to and during the shooting
of that movie.
Leto took an unorthodox approach to getting into character for Suicide Squad which included
sending a live rat to Harley Quinn actress Margot Robbie, gifting Deadshot actor Will
Smith a love letter and a bunch of bullets, and bringing a dead hog to rehearsal.
His terrifying efforts really weren't worth it in the end, as Leto's Joker was little
more than a cameo in Suicide Squad.
Another source has claimed that Leto tried to, quote, "'invent' a place for himself"
in the film, which was "never really his movie," and it all backfired.
Whatever caused Warner Bros. to back away from a Leto-led Joker movie and prioritize
Phillips' project instead, we can't say for certain, but it seems clear that Leto didn't
like how things played out.
Sadly for Leto, sources have indicated to THR that the actor's time as the Joker is
probably over for good.
He isn't included in Birds of Prey which centers on Joker's ex-flame Harley Quinn, played opposite
Leto in Suicide Squad by Margot Robbie and is likely not going to be a part of the upcoming
Suicide Squad reboot-slash-sequel directed by James Gunn.
The filmmaker himself recently said that he doesn't think it would be strange for Leto's
Joker to not be in the film, quote, "as he isn't a part of the Suicide Squad in the comics."
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