We’ve had weeks of teases and haircut pictures, but now, on the 75th anniversary of the character’s first appearance in comics (April 25th, 1940, fact fans), Suicide Squad director David Ayer has posted the first proper look at Jared Leto as The Joker. Take a look, why don’t you?
Boasting what looks like a cross between a punk and mid-‘90s rock aesthetic, the Leto-Joker certainly has the deranged visual aspects of the character down pat, including a lot of body art. We’re not sure he really needs the “damaged” tattoo on his forehead, but it’s The Joker... he plays by his own rules. Naturally, he'll have to undergo the traditional trial by fire from those who prefer earlier, funnier Jokers, but we'll wait and see what he's like in actual footage.
Leto is a prime part of Suicide Squad, which also features Will Smith as Deadshot, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Jay Hernandez as El Diablo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc, Karen Fukuhara as Plastique, Scott Eastwood as Steve Trevor and Jim Parrack as Jonny Frost, with Common and Ike Barinholtz in roles yet to be confirmed.
Ayer is in production now on the film, which finds a shadowy government agency recruiting imprisoned supervillain and the like for near-impossible missions. **Suicide Squad **will be out on August 5, 2016.