Jared Leto Eyed for Role as The Joker in 'Suicide Squad'

Now that David Ayer's Suicide Squad is officially good to go, the project must now look to fill the roster of title characters and cast the actors to play those roles. There were previous reports that pointed at the names of Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Tom Hardy and Ryan Gosling being eyed for the supervillain team, and now a new name is being added to that list. It is being reported that Jared Leto is being eyed by Warner Bros. to play the role of The Joker in the upcoming film.

The Wrap reported on Warner Bros. targeting Leto for the role of The Joker in Suicide Squad, also mentioning that Tom Hardy, Margot Robbie and Will Smith are in various stages of negotiations and that Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor is expected to appear, but no confirmations have been made. Leto was also among talks of being up for Marvel's Doctor Strange, but that role is looking more likely to go to Benedict Cumberbatch. Suicide Squad focuses on a team of supervillains who go on suicide missions for the government in exchange for reduced prison sentences.

This may sound quite repetitive of me but it is always good to mention, these reports could end up being true but they don't mean that at this moment Jared Leto is confirmed to play The Joker. It very well could be what is actually happening, but until the studio or the actor confirm it the casting report should be treated as a may be or may not be situation. But going into the actual report, I would be completely on board with a Jared Leto Joker. He wouldn't be an actor I would immediately think of to play the character but now that I think about it, I can completely see it working. Leto is an Oscar-winning actor, so you know the talent is definitely there. But as much as I like the actor and can see him playing the character perfectly, I am not really on board with the idea of introducing a new Joker in the Suicide Squad movie. I don't think I want to see The Joker in a film (at least when he is being introduced) without Batman. To me Batman is who makes the character of The Joker, and that obsessive relationship is what defines those characters and makes them fun to watch together. I could be completely wrong and this could end up working out perfectly, I love the idea of Leto as The Joker, but not so sure about seeing him in Suicide Squad with no Batman. David Ayer's Suicide Squad is set to hit theaters on August 5th, 2016.