Jared Leto Won’t Confirm He’s In HBO Max's ‘Justice League,’ But Says He & Zack Snyder Have "Lots Up Their Sleeves"

What better way than to end 2020 with a Jared Leto story, right? In a recent interview with Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast, Leto was a guest to discuss his upcoming film, “The Little Things,” opposite Denzel Washington and Rami Malek, from director John Lee Hancock. Leto plays a serial killer in the film, and it opens on January 29, 2021, via Warner Bros. and HBO Max simultaneously. Naturally, however, Leto was also asked about Sony’s “Morbius” and Zack Snyder’s “Justice League” headed for HBO Max that he is rumored to appear in as the Joker.

As for “Morbius,” it’s a film spin-off from Sony’s Spiderverse, so eventually, the character should crossover with Spider-Man. But what kind of film is it? Well, it sounds like a dark superhero movie that crosses into horror a little, but still is a big escapist entertainment at the end of the day.

“I get to play three different characters in this Jekyll and Hyde story that’s just big and fun, and sometimes is a little scary, which is, I think, different for that genre,” Leto teased. “And I’m excited about it. That should be a big, fun popcorn movie.”

Leto also spoke about his Joker characters introduced in “Suicide Squad” and may or may not come back for more; there’s a rumored solo film in the works and a rumored aforementioned Snydercut appearance despite the Joker not being part of the original Joss Whedon-led version of “Justice League.” The actor said his new serial killer character Albert Sparma reminded him of the Joker a little bit.

“There are a few very few characters that you play that have absolutely no rules, you know, that you could just go to town,” he said of his iconic DC villain character. “[My ‘Little Thing’s character] Sparma reminds me a little bit of that character as well in that he’s just a little outside the box. He’s someone who says everything that he thinks, basically. And he always is surprising. He’s very playful. And I found him actually quite funny as well.” Leto added of Albert, “He could be a good guy or a bad guy, but he’s a fun guy!”

So, the final question: will Leto re-appear as the Joker in the HBO Max Snydercut version of “Justice League”? The actor was vague and refused to confirm.

“I may or may not be in this; I’ve heard the rumors too,” he said coyly. “We’ll have to let Zack [Snyder] confirm or deny that one.” When pressed about whether he shot some scenes, he answered much the same, “I may or may not have shot something with Zack, but I love him, he’s just a maverick and an incredible filmmaker; we get along great and have great chemistry.”

Perhaps tellingly, he says, “I look forward to working with him again in the future. We have lots up our sleeves, Zack and I.” Again? Snyder’s technically never worked with Leto before (outside of the DC Films he’s listed as a producer on), so that might be the confirmation fans need. As for the “we have lots up our sleeves,” part, well, get to speculating, I guess.

As for the rumored Ayercut of “Suicide Squad” that fans would love to see? Leto is all for it. “I would love for him to be able to work on that and make the film of his dreams,” he said. “It’s always hard when you make these movies because it’s such a pressure cooker. There are so many decisions that have to be made in a short amount of time. You never start with something that’s perfect. It’s a race to try to make it as good as you can in a short amount of time. And having another swing at things? I’m sure we all can use that.”

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is coming to HBO Max in March, according to Snyder himself, and the director is pushing for an R-Rated theatrical cut as well.

This one is for you Fiona. Let's go 2021. @fukujang0627 pic.twitter.com/w0YmjgTEfs
— Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder) December 31, 2020