Jared Leto has already played the Joker, but fans have yet to see him as imagined by director Zack Snyder.
First things first, it’s important to note that this first look at Leto’s rendition of the Joker, which was exclusively shared by Vanity Fair, isn’t from a new Justice League movie, per se. In reality, this is how Leto’s character will be portrayed in a different cut of the 2017 film, which was initially directed by Snyder, who stepped down as director when his 20-year-old daughter, Autumn, committed suicide that March.
After Snyder’s departure, Joss Whedon stepped in during post-production, overseeing the editing process and re-shoots. In the process, Whedon also cut numerous scenes to bring the movie time down to two hours, as reportedly directed by Warner Bros.
The final product ended up being much different from the movie Snyder promised, and was noticeably less violent. Additionally, the movie was widely panned, with some critics calling it a “Frankenstein” cut.