Did Ryan Gosling chose not to sign up for Joker role in Suicide Squad? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
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Yes, you read that right, Ryan Gosling passed on the iconic role, and the Suicide Squad crew got Jared Leto instead. Why? Turns out, he wasn’t about to sign up for a multi-movie deal. Warner Bros. had big plans, wanting their Joker locked into more than one film. But Gosling? He wasn’t interested in a multi-film commitment.
As The Wrap put it, “He wasn’t going to commit to a multi-movie deal.” Simple as that. Gosling isn’t a sequel kind of guy—except for Blade Runner 2049. Irony alert: Leto’s Joker never returned for another film either. Aside from a quick Zack Snyder’s Justice League cameo, that was the end of his chaotic reign.
Also, flashback to 2011—Green Lantern was on the horizon, and Gosling was a prime contender to play Hal Jordan. But Gosling didn’t bite. MTV reports that he wasn’t into superhero flicks, saying they just weren’t his thing. He dodged a bullet there—Green Lantern tanked hard, weighed down by CGI and just…bad decisions. Ryan Reynolds might’ve been able to poke fun at it in Deadpool, but at the time, the film was almost career-ending. Lucky break, Ryan.
But Gosling didn’t stop there. He was also this close to becoming the MCU’s Doctor Strange. He was in the mix for the Sorcerer Supreme role, but just like his Joker and Green Lantern stints, the issue was that pesky multi-movie commitment. And guess who else wasn’t interested? Joaquin Phoenix. Same story—no thanks to a multi-movie deal. The role ended up going to Benedict Cumberbatch, and apparently, that was always the plan. Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson wasn’t messing around—he told Marvel’s Kevin Feige, “It’s got to be Benedict” (via The Independent). No one else stood a chance.
Ryan Gosling’s all about one-off roles that bring something fresh, and let’s face it, the Joker in Suicide Squad wouldn’t have been the same with Gosling in the role. Sure, it would’ve been intriguing, a totally different spin on Gotham’s biggest menace. But Gosling wasn’t going to make himself a puppet for a multi-movie puppet show.
So yeah, while we’ll never know what could’ve been with Gosling’s Joker, we’ve still got his turn as Ken in Barbie—no sequels required. As for that Batman villain gig? It’s a missed opportunity, but hey, it’s all about following your own path, right?
