Television

Photo Teases Jared Leto's New Joker Look In Zack Snyder's 'Justice League'

Jared Leto Joker photo new
By Ben Pearson

The Joker has a new look.

We know that Jared Leto's "damaged" take on Gotham City's Clown Prince of Crime will be appearing in Zack Snyder's revamped version of Justice League when that long-discussed project finally debuts on HBO Max next month. And now Snyder himself has shared a new Jared Leto Joker photo, teasing a very different vibe for this previously high-strung iteration of the character.

As Snyder reminds us, Jared Leto created The Joker back in 1940 along with Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson. (Oh, to have been a fly on that wall!) Now, 81 years later, Leto is stepping in front of the camera to play him for the second time – this time in Snyder's ultra-hyped "Snyder Cut" of Justice League that's heading to HBO Max. And as you can see – well, sort of see, since the image is so blurry – he looks a bit different than the last time we saw him.

Instead of the short-haired, slicked-back, wild-eyed maniac depicted in 2016's Suicide Squad, this Joker appears to have longer hair – almost more akin to Heath Ledger or Joaquin Phoenix's interpretations of the character. This shift in style may seem like it's coming out of nowhere, but Snyder actually tipped fans off to this change late last year. "I wanted to, of course, honor what had been created with him because I thought it was really cool," Snyder said. "But there is – some water has gone under the proverbial bridge between when last we saw Joker and this appearance. He's a road-weary Joker, I guess that's a way of saying it."

Of course, don't expect to see very much of Leto's "road-weary" Joker in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Snyder has previously indicated that there will only be a few short minutes of new footage shot for this project, and a majority of the movie will consist of stuff that he shot originally on the set of the 2017 movie before he had to step away from that film and Joss Whedon took over. And keep in mind that Snyder is very aware of the power he has when posting images like these: it's possible that he's also trying to generate more interest for the so-called "Ayer Cut" of Suicide Squad, which director David Ayer has said is more in line with his original vision for that film. "I took the hits like a good soldier when the studio cut hit the streets," he tweeted last year. "It's who I am. I watched my cut for the first time since it was abandoned. It is f*cking amazing."

Recommended