Michael Wilkinson Talks Designing Jason Momoa’s Aquaman Costume; Jared Leto on Playing The Joker in SUICIDE SQUAD

In addition to his work on Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, costume designer Michael Wilkinson also created the design for Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, who makes his debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice next year. Yesterday, director Zack Snyder revealed a first look at Momoa as the King of Atlantis, and he looks quite similar to the 1990s comic book version of the character (minus the hook hand, of course). Aquaman looks more barbaric and straight-up badass, which is what many expected when Momoa was cast.

Speaking with Toofab, Wilkinson commented on designing this look for Aquaman. “It has been a thrill and an honor to bring this iconic character to life for a modern audience. Zack Snyder has a brilliant vision for making this character powerful and relevant. I enjoyed designing a costume that reflects this vision and honors the character’s rich legacy.”

Wilkinson has done a terrific job with the costumes for this movie so far, and it should be interesting to see what he does with the rest of the Justice League. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is set to hit theaters March 25th, 2016.

In other DC movie news, we have finally heard from Oscar winning actor Jared Leto on his upcoming role as The Joker in Suicide Squad. Of all of the fantastic casting decisions with this movie so far, arguably the most anticipated is Leto’s take on the most popular comic book villain of all time. Speaking with Billboard, Leto revealed that he was gaining weight in preparation to play The Joker; in fact, he was eating vegan tacos during the interview. “I’m trying to gain a lot of weight. It means I have to eat every couple of hours — and I’m terrible at eating a lot.”

Leto then goes on to explain his interest in the role, comparing comic book lore to the work of William Shakespeare. “The opportunity to take on this nearly Shakespearean character — that’s what graphic novels and comic books are becoming, right? [He’s] this beautiful disaster of a character — what a big challenge.” It should be fascinating to see what Leto does with the iconic villain. Suicide Squad is set to hit theaters August 5th, 2016.