Jared Leto Consulted Grant Morrison on His Joker; SUICIDE SQUAD Co-Star Will Smith Praises Method Acting

Arguably the most anticipated character in next year’s Suicide Squad is The Joker, played by Oscar winner Jared Leto. His look as the Clown Prince of Crime promises a bold new take on the villain, with some fans pointing out its similarities to Grant Morrison’s Joker. Shirtless, muscular, etc. Turns out that the comic book writer did have some input on Leto’s portrayal.

Speaking with Gamesradar‘s Comic Heroes, Morrison shares his thoughts on Leto’s Joker, revealing that the actor consulted him on it. “It looks quite interesting. He [Leto] called me to talk about his approach to the character and I steered him in a few directions. I’m keen to see if anything other than slicked back hair and the Marilyn Manson vibe made it into his performance.” Morrison then says that he would like the comic book movie genre to expand beyond the “meat and potatoes” content, suggesting that characters auch as Flex Mentallo and Enigma should be brought to the big screen.

In other Suicide Squad news, Deadshot actor Will Smith recently appeared on the Beats 1 radio show (via Complex), and he inevitably talked about the DC supervillain epic. Calling it “insane,” Smith admits that he has never even met Jared Leto outside of his Joker performance, offering another perspective on his method acting. “I’ve never actually met Jared Leto. We worked together for 6 months and we’ve never exchanged a word outside of ‘Action!’ and ‘Cut!’ I literally have not met him yet. So, the first time I see him will be ‘Hey, Jared. What’s up?’ He was all in on the Joker.”

For Smith’s comments on the next Bad Boys movie and his comeback in the music industry, click the link above. Stay tuned for more news as we have it.

Suicide Squad is scheduled to hit theaters August 5th, 2016. The third installment in the DC Extended Universe stars Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, Joel Kinnaman, Cara Delevingne, Viola Davis, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Adam Beach, Jay Hernandez and Karen Fukahara. David Ayer writes and directs.