There was talk earlier this year that Jared Leto might be jumping into the Marvel universe as a potential candidate to play **Doctor Strange. While that doesn’t seem to be happening, he is still being linked with a comic book film role as The Wrap reports he’s circling a part in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad film.
Ayer already has Will Smith and Tom Hardy in talks to join the cast, plus Margot Robbie, now strongly rumoured to be playing Harley Quinn. Nothing has been confirmed yet, however, and Leto right now is even further away in terms of talks. But it appears he’s seriously considering becoming the DC universe’s new Joker, which would be an imposing challenge given how well Heath Ledger brought the character to life in** The Dark Knight **(and overcame a tidal wave of critics saying that he himself would never be able to match Jack Nicholson). Ryan Gosling was originally sought for the role, but was unwilling to sign on for multiple films, which could end up a stumbling block for Leto as well.
Suicide Squad finds a group of the comics’ world’s most notorious villains recruited by the government to go on dangerous missions. Recent reports indicate that Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, from Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, could be joining their ranks. Ayer talked to us about the project before he engaged in the current casting run, and is gearing up to make the film ready for an August 5, 2016 release date.