10 Riskiest Upcoming Casting Choices (And Why They Will Work)

The Risk

The Joker is such an iconic character. Of all the villains in Batman lore, none have endured quite like DC’s Clown Prince of Crime. So loved and appreciated in all his various incarnations, from Mark Hamill’s throaty cackle in The Animated Series, through to Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, and Heath Ledger in live action, the presence of The Joker casts a looming shadow over anyone set to try their hand at the role.

With Ledger’s untimely passing shortly before the release of The Dark Knight, and subsequent immortalisation as the character, that shadow may now be as cold and lonely as it has ever been. Throw in some puzzled reactions to Suicide Squad’s ‘Hot Topic’ character design, and Leto’s Joker is presented with something of a mountain to climb in turning the tide of public opinion.

The Reward

Leto’s acting stock is rising. His Oscar winning turn in Dallas Buyers Club went some way to establishing Leto as more than just the lead singer of 30 Seconds to Mars, whilst the more studious and aged of the population will also remember impressive performances in Prefontaine and Requiem for a Dream. Without any doubt, Jared Leto is the real deal. His devotion to his roles and method acting tendencies can only bode well for a character as unhinged as The Joker.

Comparisons with Ledger are inevitable, but unfair. What we have with Leto’s Joker, tattoos and grills aside, is a gaunt lanky psychopath much more in keeping with the traditional iteration familiar to readers of some of the darker Batman graphic novels. Ledger’s war painted anarchist stood alone, and unique to Christopher Nolan’s real-world vision of the Batman. With the dust settling on that trilogy, Leto is perfectly cast to bring The Joker back to his comic roots.