It’s no wonder that Jared Leto was a bit upset by the fact that Warner Bros. Pictures had allowed another actor play the iconic DC Comics villain he had just played in Suicide Squad. Playing the Joker on-screen is a pretty big deal, and it would have felt like Warner Bros. and DC just wanted to replace him.
The executives at Warner Bros. Pictures allowed Todd Phillips to make his Joker movie with Joaquin Phoenix as the lead, but they only gave him $55 million to make it, which is a very small budget given how much they’ve spent on the likes of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the first Suicide Squad film.
Yet, it turned out to be a gamble that paid off since Joker is now making a serious amount of money, and is looking to surpass Justice League’s final box office very soon.
Jared’s not a happy Joker actor
Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck in JOKER (Credit: Warner Bros.)
Read more: Could Joaquin Phoenix Be The Second Actor To Win An Oscar For Playing The Joker?
None of this would have pleased Jared Leto, and there are now reports immerging that he tried to stop the Joker movie from being made.
This report comes from The Hollywood Reporter, who were told by a source close to Leto that when he found out about the new Joker movie, he complained to his agents as CAA about it.
CAA also represents Phillips and Leto asked his music managed, Irving Azoff to call the head of Warner Bros. Pictures to try and get the movie cancelled.
However, another source claimed that Leto never asked his manager to do that, and Azoff declined to comment on the story, and he and Leto have since parted ways.
Leto has since moved agencies from CAA to WME, and it was suggested by this unnamed source that CAA was more than happy to see the back of Leto.
Jared needs to put on his happy face
Jared Leto as the Joker in Suicide Squad (Credit: Warner Bros.)
Read more: Joker Star Joaquin Phoenix Is The Favourite To Win The Best Actor Oscar
Apparently, Leto was upset that he hadn’t been told about the project sooner by his agents because he would have fought harder for his version of the Joker.
Yet, according to The Hollywood Reporter’s article, Leto had already burned through four different teams of agents at CAA, and they were starting to lose patience with the actor.
It really does sound like it was a tough ordeal for everybody involved, and the fact that the movie is doing so well, and that Phoenix is getting universal acclaim for his performance will just be adding salt to Leto’s already painful wound.
The funny thing is that Phoenix’s Joker was never intended to replace Leto’s as Todd Phillips’ movie was always intended to be a standalone project.
Leto’s Joker was the DCEU’s Joker, so he’s kind of shot himself in the foot by acting so drastically.
Joker is currently showing in UK cinemas. Have you seen it yet? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments below.
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