Jared Leto calls 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' 'one for the ages'

Jared Leto talks reprising Joker for 'Zack Snyder's Justice League': 'One for the ages'

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 3/19/21

The #SnyderCut is finally here.

Zack Snyder's Justice League —all four hours of it!—hit HBO Max on Thursday, and among its differentiators was Jared Leto reprising The Joker. The 49-year-old Zoomed in to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Thursday night to discuss.

"I always loved Zack Snyder, and I think that the story behind this Snyder Cut is really kind of one for the ages—what happened around him not finishing the first film," Leto said, later adding, "I was just happy to be a part of his dream, and to get asked to play The Joker for a second time was just a treat. It's one of those roles that is just incredible."

The original Justice League was released in 2017. Snyder was profiled by Vanity Fair in late February, where exactly what went wrong was re-examined. The 54-year-old is listed as the film's director, but he departed the project in May of that year after his daughter died by suicide. There had previously been a rift between him and Warner Bros. concerning creative control, and Joss Whedon stepped in—promptly undoing mostly all of what Snyder had built.

As a result, DC Extended Universe fans started a #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign. Thursday was the culmination.

Leto appeared as Joker for the first time since his debut portraying the villain in Suicide Squad (2016). For his interview with Colbert, the Oscar winner disclosed he is in Lake Como, Italy, filming his next project: House of Gucci. The drama, centered around the real-life murder-for-hire scandal surrounding Maurizio Gucci and his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani, is directed by Ridley Scott and also stars Al Pacino, Adam Driver, Lady Gaga and Jeremy Irons. Leto portrays Paolo Gucci.

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