Joke's On Us: Jared Leto To Reprise Joker Role For Snyder Cut

After two years of campaigning, the Release the Snyder Cut movement did the impossible: They convinced Warner Bros. to pour another $70 million into a finished movie that cost $300 million. Fans rejoiced. They would finally get to see Zack Snyder's full version of Justice League in the form of a four-part miniseries on HBO Max. But that monkey's paw fans wished upon has come to collect.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Jared Leto is reprising his "Damaged" interpretation of the Joker for Zack Snyder's Justice League. Leto's gaudy performance was the focus of a fan backlash to Suicide Squad back in 2016, resulting in poor reviews and a quasi-rebooted sequel. The film won an Oscar for makeup and hairstyling, presumably for Joker's toothy hand tats and slicked-back green hair. However, DC and Warner Bros. abandoned Leto in subsequent films. Leto is reportedly not appearing in the Suicide Squad sequel, and when Todd Phillips pitched Joker, he cast Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role. Phoenix won an Oscar for the film, making Leto the only cinematic Joker in the last two decades to not win an Academy Award for playing the clown prince of crime.

Additional photography for ‌Zack Snyder's Justice League is already underway. Stars Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher and Amber Heard, who play Batman, Cyborg and Mera, respectively, have all joined the reshoots. Previously, Affleck squared off against Leto's Joker in Suicide Squad in a brief cameo. It remains unconfirmed whether or not Leto has christened the Zack Snyder's Justice League by sending his fellow castmates a dead rat filled with condoms, or whatever his method process requires. That poor cast.

Not returning for Zack Snyder's Justice League are producers Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, the executives who oversaw the completion of Justice League in 2017. In recent months, star Ray Fisher accused the pair of enabling abusive behavior on set by fill-in director Joss Whedon. The Hollywood Reporter states that the controversy is not the reason for their absence. They write:

Sources close to Berg and Johns have confirmed the duo’s intention to remove their names from the Snyder Cut since they did not work on this version and are no longer studio executives. The sources also say the move pays respect to Snyder’s creative vision and the additional photography shoot.

It is unclear when Berg's and Johns' segue began. One source said the move began months ago and is unconnected to comments made by Fisher.

Will this lead to more Leto in future DC movies? Is he truly back in the fold? Will he be bringing his circle of knives to future movies? Only time will tell. Until then, we pray for Leto's costars.