A couple weeks back, it was reported that Warner Bros. are developing an origin film for The Joker, to be produced by the iconic Martin Scorsese and directed by Todd Phillips.
Now, The Hollywood Reporter is saying that the film is going to attempt to bring on Leonardo DiCaprio to play DC Comics character:
Sources say Warners will make an ambitious attempt to use Scorsese to bring Leonardo DiCaprio into the world of comic-book movies. Certainly, Scorsese’s involvement in The Joker film, which The Hangover filmmaker Todd Phillips would direct, could elevate and diversify the studio’s contributions to the genre, creating the potential to make awards-worthy films such as Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy.
There’s no offer for DiCaprio, and sources say Scorsese’s deal to produce isn’t even done yet. The chances of landing DiCaprio could be slim to none. But the attempt in itself sends a signal to talent that Warners wants to hire serious filmmakers to make serious films.
If true, this would definitely be an interesting choice. Though – if it’s anything like Jared Leto’s Suicide Squad performance and they cut most of it out, it’d become clear that WB is just looking to ruin Oscar winning actors.
The report did state that Leto is unhappy with this new development:
Insiders say Jared Leto, the actor who portrayed the Clown Prince of Crime in last summer’s Suicide Squad and is slated to reprise the character not just for a sequel but for another spinoff movie (with DC villainess Harley Quinn), was caught off-guard by the plans. Leto is said to have made his displeasure with the notion of multiple Jokers known to his CAA agents, and rival agency WME has been using the concern to court him.
Leto, however, is returning to play the character in The DCEU:
“No, there’s so much hype and bullsh– about that, I think it’s just fun thing to talk about. Even when [Suicide Squad] came out, there was so much misrepresentation about what went down, about the method acting crap. It’s just that 90% of it was not even true. It just takes on a life of its own.
[Filming Suicide Squad] was an incredible experience, everyone was amazing. Margot Robbie [is] one of the nicest people and one of the best actresses I’ve ever worked with. I really loved working with her.
I thought the scenes we did together were some of the most fun I’ve ever had on a set before. But everything is great in that world and I’m really proud to be a part of it.”
We’ll let you know how this plays out.