Rumour: Jared Leto to play a scarred version of The Joker?

Warner Bros. super-villain movie Suicide Squad has been hitting the headlines a lot in the past few weeks, and now a raft of rumours regarding the film's version of The Joker have hit the web.

The usually reliable JoBlo report that Jared Leto is definitely signed on to the movie as The Joker, who is likely to spend much of the film in Arkham Asylum, pulling strings in a very Hannibal Lecter-esque way.

The site's sources report that Leto's version of The Joker “is scarred all over his body because of his battles with Batman”, and adds that “everybody is afraid of him”.

While this should all be taken with a pinch of salt, it certainly sounds like a bold and interesting take on the material that should keep the comic's darkness intact.

Last week, Tom Hardy dropped out of Suicide Squad, citing script changes that diminished his screen-time as Rick Flagg.

Apparently Joel Edgerton and Jon Bernthal are being courted to replace Hardy. Meanwhile, Margot Robbie has signed on as Harley Quinn and Will Smith will play Deadshot.

Suicide Squad opens in the UK on 5 August 2016.