'Suicide Squad' trailer, cast news & update: Jared Leto set to make Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson proud of his Joker rendition

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Dec 02, 2015 05:30 AM EST

"Suicide Squad" isn't arriving until summer next year, but Jared Leto is already excited to show fans and viewers his rendition of the epic character, Joker. Entertainment Weekly reports that the 43-year-old actor took to Instagram to say comment on a fan-made edited image of two Jokers, played by Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger with the meme saying "Don't worry, Leto will make us proud." Leto credited Toronto photographer and Instagram user @gaunted for the original image that came in both colored and black and white.

 

"Amazing... Just thought it was clever sweet [and] fun," Leto commented on his Instagram post.

Jack Nicholson took his turn as Joker in the 1989 Tim Burton directed film, "Batman," while the late Heath Ledger, who passed in 2008 reportedly due to abuse of prescribed medications, played Joker in "The Dark Knight", which was released six months after his death, and for which he posthumously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (among many other posthumous awards he received for the role).

Leto is the latest to take on the iconic role, and his co-star Adam Beach, who plays Slipknot in the film, told E! News that the actor "encompasses this beautiful man and he shows it in, 'Hello, how are you?,' but in an instant, he goes to psychotic behavior where you're in fear. But you love him because he has both of those genuine sides."

Leto, dressed as Joker, is also featured in the December issue of Empire Magazine, wherein he talks about his dark, twisted character.

"There was definitely a period of… detachment," the Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman admitted. "I took a pretty deep dive. But this was a unique opportunity and I couldn't imagine doing it another way. It was fun, playing those psychological games."

Speaking of psychological games, "Suicide Squad" producer Charles Roven told Independent in November, "[Leto] did in many ways isolate himself from the rest of the group, but that’s really what his character was, the purpose of his character in many ways, other than when he was with Harley or trying to get Harley."

"It was very entertaining, it was fuel for a lot of good sport and a lot of laughs," he admitted. "And his isolation bonded the squad, and we wanted the squad bonded."

Director David Ayer sings praises about Leto's performance as well, telling the magazine, "There’s a power to that character and by some freaking miracle, through the incredible things Jared has done and the photography and all the other things that went into it, we’ve cooked up something transcendent. He's scary."

"Suicide Squad" drives up to theaters on Aug. 5, 2016.

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