It’s no secret the DCEU is having a rough go in the press. It seems all we hear are stories of doom and gloom, with a glimmer of sunlight peeking through the clouds ever so often. Their decisions seem to be redactional and with the news of an “Elseworlds” off shoot, it feels like they are setting themselves up for something bigger than they may be able to handle. So with the recent news of a Joker origin film from The Hangover creator Todd Phillips, this new information from The Tracking Board seems even more puzzling.
They are reporting that Crazy Stupid Love filmmaking duo John Requa and Glenn Ficarra will helm a Joker & Harley Quinn movie in the vein of Natural Born Killers. Now here comes the disappointing part, The Tracking Board claims this “criminal love story,” will replace Gotham City Sirens and see director David Ayer exit the DCEU. Nothing has been confirmed from Warner Bros., of course, and it does seem an odd choice to triple down on The Joker who is now slated to star in 2 DCEU movies and 1 “Elsworlds” tale. This decision seems even stranger considering Jared Leto’s Joker is not exactly well liked and even though he is only slated for Suicide Squad 2 and Joker & Harley, while a younger actor is being eyed for the disjointed from the DCEU Joker Origin film, I would bet money, Leto, has some role, even if it’s a small one in Reeve’s The Batman.
That’s a lot of Leto.
As a DC Comics fan, I was really looking forward to a femme fatale team up and the possibilities a Gotham City Sirens project manifests. Despite what you think about David Ayer, it felt like a home run for the DCEU and long time DC fans who have been begging to see Poison Ivy, Harley, and Catwoman interact, it would have also been a great opportunity to expand the DCEU and its growing mythos. Only time will tell how this all shakes up, but it’s hard not to be worried about the future of DC movies when the story seems to change every other week.