'Suicide Squad' director David Iyer on Jared Leto: This is a Joker we haven't seen

'Suicide Squad' director David Iyer on Jared Leto: This is a Joker we haven't seen

Director David Iyer insists Jared Leto has brought to screen a unique quality and energy to the iconic character of The Joker

Jared Leto as Joker

One of the things that has created a lot of buzz about Suicide Squad is Jared Leto as the iconic character of The Joker, an arch enemy of the Batman, a role which was made immemorial by the inimitable Heath Ledger. Even though those are some pretty big shoes to fill, director David Iyer is convinced Leto is the right choice for the role and does justice to the legendary character.

He says, "This is a character that is the best known bad guy - the best known villain - in fiction, hands down, which is incredible. The Joker has been around since 1941 or so and is truly a cultural icon. You're stepping into huge shoes - and I think you can only do that with reverence and trepidation - and Jared really is the ideal guy to do it."

"He's the classic method actor. He studied various people and historical figures and did vast, vast amounts of research across many different fields to assemble this character. You have to be absolutely courageous as an actor to take on a job like that. In that regard, he has my full respect. And then to have the hard work pay off, to have that miracle happen, and to watch this new Joker come to life was just spectacular for me as a filmmaker. It's incredibly faithful to canon - you just see a second of him on screen and you know who it is - yet this is a Joker we haven't seen. I mean, it takes such courage to do that, and I'm really proud of how well Jared pulled it off," he adds.