The Suicide Squad Director James Gunn Reveals His Favorite Joker Actor

The Suicide Squad director James Gunn revealed his favorite Joker actor during an Instagram Q+A today. There have been quite a few actors to grace the screen as the Clown Prince of Crime. That list includes Jack Nicholson, Cameron Jared Leto, Cesar Romero, and Heath Ledger. But, in Gunn’s eyes, he’s locked in Joaquin Phoenix as the defacto choice. It would be hard to disagree for most fans after the staggering performance of Joker last year. It brought in so much acclaim after all the hype and Phoenix’s frantic performance is absolutely a winner. But, some Suicide Squad fans are still sad they won’t get to see Leto in the role again.

Leto and Phoenix will be linked because of the proximity to the role. But, it is also widely believed that the success of Joker shut the door on the Suicide Squad version of the character. Years ago a Joker and Harley Quinn team up movie was in the works featuring Margot Robbie alongside Leto. However, Joker got greenlit not too long after that and it was all she wrote. Leto was reportedly upset by the news and had been looking forward to handling that solo movie. Who knows, in another timeline he could have stood across from Ben Affleck’s Batman one day.

For his part in all of this Gunn had already mentioned that Joker wouldn’t be near his version of Suicide Squad, but it was nothing against Leto at all. “No one but me and a few others know all the characters in the movie, but if the Joker isn’t in the film, I don’t think it would be strange as he isn’t a part of the Suicide Squad in the comics,” Gunn replied. That sounds reasonable, and unfortunately for fans of the 2016 movie, that will about do it for Jared Leto’s Joker. But, it’s not like Joaquin Phoenix will be turning up in The Suicide Squad either.

The Suicide Squad is scheduled to star Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Steve Agee as King Shark, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher, and John Cena as Peacemaker. Flula Borg, Nathan Fillion, Mayling Ng, Pete Davidson, Sean Gunn, Joaquin Cosio, Juan Diego Botto, Storm Reid, Taika Waititi, Alice Braga, Tinashe Kajese, Peter Capaldi, Julio Ruiz, Jennifer Holland, Idris Elba, and Michael Rooker have all been cast in currently-unknown roles.

Who is your favorite Joker? Let us know down in the comments!