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We're all really curious to see what director David Ayer's and Jared Leto’s version of the Joker is going to be like in Suicide Squad. This will be the first time that we see the Crown Prince of Crime up on the big screen since the character was played by Heath Ledger. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, but I think Leto is going to be great in the role.
During an interview with Billboard, Leto discussed the Joker and how he’s preparing to take on the part. It’s interesting to note that he’s bulking up for the part.
"I'm trying to gain a lot of weight. It means I have to eat every couple of hours -- and I'm terrible at eating a lot.”
I don’t think any of the actors who have played the Joker gained weight for the role, but Leto is a pretty skinny guy, so that might be the reason why. I don’t think we’re going to be seeing a juiced up Joker or anything. He went on to discuss what attracted him to the role:
"The opportunity to take on this nearly Shakespearean character -- that's what graphic novels and comic books are becoming, right? [He's] this beautiful disaster of a character -- what a big challenge."
I love his description of the character as a "beautiful disaster." The Joker is one of my favorite villains of all time, and I really do hope that they get him right in Suicide Squad. Ayer is a very gritty and hardcore director, so I imagine that that is going to be the kind of Joker that we see in the movie.
I wonder how different this version will be than Ledger’s Joker. Will he be a darker and crazier version? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. What do you hope to see from the character in this movie?
The rest of the Suicide Squad cast includes Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevigne as Enchantress, and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg. The movie hits theaters on August 5th, 2016.
