One of the most-talked-about movies currently in theatres is Joker. Since its release earlier this month, it's thoroughly divided moviegoers, and now news has emerged that if Jared Leto had been given the final say on its go ahead, it would have never been made.
The actor, who played the iconic villain in Suicide Squad, was allegedly told that he could reprise the role in a full-length feature film, according to the Hollywood Reporter, and he was understandably frustrated when Todd Philips' movie was given the green light.
If you haven't seen it yet, this is the final trailer for Joker:According to insiders, word on the street was that Leto would be starring in a standalone Joker movie after the release of Suicide Squad in 2016.
However, Warner Brothers then took a dramatic u-turn with its Joker plans, hiring Philips to create his own version, which is what led to the casting of Joaquin Phoenix - an act which upset Leto so much that the allegedly complained to his agents at CAA.
Now, it's speculated that it's one of the reasons he went on to leave the agency last year.
Leto allegedly went above and beyond to get into character when he played the Joker - going as far as to taunt fellow Suicide Squad star Margot Robbie with a live rat and even sending a dead pig to the entire cast as they were rehearsing.
Now, Phoenix's role means that it's unlikely that Leto will ever play the Joker again in either Warner's forthcoming DC movie Birds of Prey, a Harley Quinn centered spinoff, or in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which has a preliminary release date of 2021.
"How do you play the Joker you established following [Phoenix]?" a source told the Hollywood Reporter. "It kind of ends his Joker run."