A Joker Movie Starring Jared Leto Is Reportedly Happening & Twitter Has Very Mixed Emotions

There just might be another film centered around the Joker in development. On Tuesday, June 5, Variety reported that a Joker standalone movie starring Jared Leto is in the works at Warner Bros. (DC Entertainment declined to comment on the rumored film.)

Variety reported that Leto will not only star as the Joker in the movie (reprising his Suicide Squad role), but he will also executive produce the film, the title of which is currently unknown. This news follows the April 2018 announcement that Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn will star in a spinoff movie based on the Birds of Prey comic. Variety reported that the film will begin shooting later this year.

As for the Joker film, little is known about the plot details and how it will connect to Suicide Squad — if at all. In August 2017, Deadline reported that Warner Bros. and DC were developing a Joker origin story film to be written by 8 Mile screenwriter Scott Silver and The Hangover's Todd Phillips. As of February 2018, actor Joaquin Phoenix was reportedly in talks to to star in this rumored film, according to Variety. It sounds like that Joker origin film is not the same as Joker standalone movie that was reported by Variety on Tuesday, June 5.

Then, there's also the reported Joker and Harley Quinn film that was announced in August 2017, which would be reportedly written and directed by Crazy Stupid Love filmmakers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, according to Entertainment Weekly. So that means there are or have been three Joker-related films currently in the works.

Back in September 2017, Leto told EW that he too was a little confused by all the movies in the works for the character and reiterated how much he enjoys playing the character:

“I love the Joker. He’s a great character and really fun character to play. But it’s a big universe, and when you play the Joker, there’s no ownership there. You have the honor of holding the baton for a little while and then passing it off. But there are other films that are in development and I’m excited to see what comes from them.”

Variety noted that if both the Joker origin movie and the Leto Joker standalone film are indeed in the works, they can co-exist, thanks to an origins banner that will produce movies outside of the DC cinematic universe. It's unclear when the Joker film starring Leto will begin shooting — if it will film before of after the Suicide Squad sequel starts production in 2019 — and the film does not yet have a writer, according to Variety.

What is known for sure is that fans are excited to hear that Leto, an Oscar winner, was going to star in the rumored Joker movie, reprising his role from 2016's Suicide Squad.

Some fans were confused about how two Joker movies (plus the Harley Quinn and Joker movie) can be developed by Hollywood simultaneously.

Other fans made jokes about where Leto's Joker very specific look, lending himself to the nickname "Hot Topic Joker."

One fan paid tribute to Heath Ledger's amazing portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight.

Some Twitter users had suggestions of time and place settings for the movie.

One Twitter user requested a different kind of superhero movie to be developed instead.

With so many rumored Joker films reportedly in the works, it sounds like fans just might be seeing more of the famous villain on the big screen at some point.