The Suicide Squad wishes you a Happy Anniversary Mr. J! #Joker75 #SuicideSquad @WarnerBrosEnt @DCComics pic.twitter.com/LZXz0x947Q
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) April 25, 2015
Why so … terrifying? When Jared Leto was cast in Suicide Squad as the legendary Batman villain, The Joker, we knew the Oscar winner, 43, would do the role justice.
But on Friday, April 24, Suicide Squad writer and director David Ayer shared the first photo of Leto in the role, and he’s clearly taking it to the next level.
“The Suicide Squad wishes you a Happy Anniversary Mr. J! #Joker75 #SuicideSquad @WarnerBrosEnt @DCComics,” Ayer captioned the shirtless photo of a deranged-looking Leto.
The Dallas Buyers Club actor is sporting neon green hair and a purple glove, paying homage to The Joker’s signature color scheme. But everything else about this new version of the super villain is all original.
Leto’s body is covered in tattoos, with the one across his forehead reading, “Damaged” and ones on his chest and arms simply saying, “Hahahaha.” There’s an image of a skeleton jester on his chest and a giant toothy smile inked onto his other forearm.
The actor’s wide-eyed expression and open-mouthed scream show silver-capped teeth and create an image that will likely be seared into our brains for quite some time.
Suicide Squad is set to come out in August 2016 and is a film about a secret government agency that hires villains to execute black ops missions.
Cara Delevingne will play Enchantress, Margot Robbie will be Harley Quinn, Will Smith is set to be Deadshot, Jesse Eisenberg was cast as Lex Luthor, Viola Davis is Amanda Waller, and Scott Eastwood has an unnamed role.
Sign up for Us Weekly's free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!
In 2009, the late Heath Ledger won a post-humous Oscar for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. Batman’s nemesis has also been played by Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill, Cesar Romero, and Kevin Michael Richardson.
For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!