When the fantastic Birds of Prey trailer dropped in October, many fans wondered why Jared Leto’s Joker was nowhere to be found. He and Harley Quinn were basically inseparable during Suicide Squad so it makes sense that the Clown Prince would play a big part in his girlfriend’s standalone flick.
We then learned that the toxic couple actually broke up at some point between the last movie and this one. Still, some people have been holding out hope that the infamous villain would at least cameo in the film.
Since then, though, there’ve been various reports that this isn’t going to happen. In fact, some have even said that Leto’s time as the Joker is over. While we can’t officially confirm the latter, we now know for sure that the Academy Award winner won’t be popping up at all in Birds of Prey.
This news comes courtesy of Margot Robbie herself, as she stated in a recent interview that the actor’s incarnation of the Joker doesn’t appear at all in the film. Forgive us if we aren’t exactly crying.
Going from Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance in The Dark Knight to Leto’s bizarre take on the same character was jarring to say the least. The actor tried to put his own spin on the notorious bad guy, but it definitely didn’t turn out as well as he’d hoped. And after watching Joaquin Phoenix dazzle audiences with his titular role in Joker, it’s become increasingly clear that his predecessor might not be the right guy for the part.
How do you feel about Leto’s Joker not making an appearance in Birds of Prey, though? Should the DCEU let him keep playing the character in future movies? Or should they re-cast the role entirely? Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think!
Birds of Prey will fly into theaters on February 7th, 2020.