Jared's Joker Is Back
Apologies for not posting for a while, I have been busy working and simply trying to make the most of my free time now that many of us are still in a full lockdown. However, if you want more frequent updates on cinema and TV then go follow my Instagram account @surelycinematic
I know I am quite late with this piece of news, but I did post about it on my Instagram as soon as it was released, it has just taken me a few days to catch up on here! But for those who haven't seen it, Zack Snyder has recently released new images of Jared Leto's Joker from a Knightmare scene in the upcoming, highly anticipated Snyder Cut. It's safe to say that despite the mostly negative audience reactions to Jared's Joker in SS, these images have blown up!! And fans are crazy about his new, updated look. Me being one of them. According to Zack, his role in the film will be a 'vision' which will analyse Batman/Bruce Wayne, delving into his morals and mental capacity, analysing who Bruce is and what he has become. Zack was just as gutted as fans were that Batfleck and Jared's Joker never got to properly meet on the big screen and Zack felt it was his duty to make it happen, a fan service if you will.
Here I will be talking about my thoughts on the new images, but also what caused Jared's Joker to flop so hard and how he can avoid a repeat of SS in the Snyder Cut.
As we can see from these images, his appearance has changed quite a lot since SS and for the better imo!! Gone are the cringy tattoos, the cheap, tacky looking jewellery and the gaudy bright purple crocodile leather trench coat. Instead, it has been replaced by long hair, an old fashioned surgeons outfit (which has seen better days) and more refined, simple makeup; all of which fit much better into the Knightmare scenario and aesthetic. This will be one of three costume we will see Joker in, along with an asylum outfit and a GCPD outfit covered in the badges of the cops he has killed. All of these ideas are much more fitting to the character of the Joker imo. The concept of a 'gangster' Joker was good, it has been done in the comics before and I think it could have been fairly successful if it was handled correctly. But I believe the downfall of the Joker in SS was due to two things: minimal screen time and Jared's mentality when approaching the character.
The majority of the Joker's screen time was cut from SS, which, obviously made it impossible for the audience to get a sense of what his character is all about and connect with him. His story was choppy, inconsistent and almost an afterthought due to the cuts. If the time is not invested to show-off the character and develop their story arc then you will never have a popular character.
However, I think the greatest downfall of Jared's Joker was the actor himself. Now there is no denying that Jared is a capable actor, he is IMMENSELY talented and dedicated to every character he portrays, and we know from his history, that he doesn't just select any character, he will turn down roles that he doesn't connect with or feel he can do justice to. Unfortunately, all of this doesn't mean you can't make mistakes. The Joker (along with Batman) is arguably the most iconic and legendary role an actor can portray. To portray either of these will mean overnight stardom and worldwide attention on everything you do, the eyes of the world will be anticipating your every move and that's what I think ruined Jared's Joker.
To be able to play a good Joker, you first need to know why people are attracted to him so much. He is not a copy and paste character like Batman, who has the exact same origin story, he is unpredictable and what sets him apart in each incarnation are his motivations. If you look at the successful Jokers, you will notice they all have rich motives for what they are doing. Heath's motivations were to 'watch the world burn', he was extremely 'anti-establishment' and wanted to created anarchy in the modern world, which is suffocated by rules and restrictions, he didn't believe anyone was free anymore. Phoenix's Joker was more simple, he just wanted to be noticed and treated fairly like everybody else, and when that didn't happen, he snapped. He was a man tired of being walked all over and spat on by the world. Both of these are very clear motivations as to why they became the Joker. But if you try and think back to SS and try to remember what Jared's motivations were, I doubt you will come up with anything interesting. Yes, he was trying to save Harley, but as previously mentioned, his screen time was so short that we didn't even get an in-depth background into their relationship. The majority of the flashbacks were of Jared abusing Harley or trying to get rid of her, so to then suggest his motivations were to 'save her' simply doesn't add up or make sense.
I believe Jared got caught up in the hype for a new Joker, and he wanted to make his the most memorable incarnation possible, to live up to said hype. But this is where he went wrong. Rather than being memorable for a stellar performance, he decided that being the most controversial Joker ever would be his ticket to success. Sending dead rats and used condoms to co-stars will make them extremely uncomfortable around you and that discomfort will carry on over to the screen. I understand that people SHOULD be on edge around the Joker, that's his nature, but when actors feel that way about the person behind the character, then whatever chemistry their characters would have had on screen, whether it be good or bad, starts to fall apart. Both Heath and Phoenix were incredibly well respected by their co-stars both during and after filming, and look how they turned out... Jared fell into a false sense of security about the character thinking all this stuff would secure his success, but it really didn't.
On the other hand, I believe that Jared has learnt from his mistakes with being the talented actor he is and will approach the Joker with a renewed sense of respect and with his head screwed on. As a plus, with Zack being there to direct him, this Joker should be a lot more grounded and real than that seen in SS. If these pictures are anything to go by, I think/hope we're in for a treat.
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