Jared Leto’s Joker is Getting His Own Film
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Variety reports some interesting news this afternoon, revealing that Warner Bros. is moving forward with plans to bring Jared Leto‘s interpretation of The Joker back to the big screen. Leto became the latest to wear the makeup in 2016’s Suicide Squad, although Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn stole the show. Sources tell the site that Leto is set to star and exec produce an untitled standalone film, paving the way for future movies branching from Suicide Squad. Warner Bros. already announced that Robbie’s Harley Quinn would be getting her own movie with a Birds of Prey feature.
This move may seem a bit confusing as Warner Bros. is already developing a Joker film with Todd Phillips, although that’s being pegged as an origin story under a new “origins” banner that would be separate from the current cinematic DC universe. This new banner would allow multiple actors and versions based on the same character with no overlap, and WB has already tapped Joaquin Phoenix to star in Phillips’ Joker pic.
It’s currently unknown when this film would go into production, as Leto and the studio will now search for a writer. It’s also unclear if this film would shoot before or after the previously announced sequel to Suicide Squad, which is believed to go into production sometime in 2019.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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