'Suicide Squad' release date, cast news: Director dismisses Joker fan theory; Will Smith & Margot Robbie attend movie's block party in Miami
Just before "Suicide Squad" officially hits movie theaters, its director, David Ayer, decided to shoot down a popular rumor that has gone viral thanks to fans who double as conspiracy theorists.
During the movie's block party in Miami, WSVN-TV's Chris Van Vliet caught up with Ayer and some of the cast members. Vliet particularly asked Ayer about "the most ridiculous rumor" he's heard about "Suicide Squad," which was about the Joker's true identity.
Fans quickly surmised that Joker, played by Jared Leto in the movie, is actually Jason Todd, whom comic book fans know as the second Robin. This after the first trailer of the DC movie "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" showed a Robin costume covered in graffiti that read "Ha-Ha. The Joke's On You, Batman." It was discovered later on that the costume was Jason Todd's.
In the video interview, Ayer shut down the fan theory that Joker was a good guy gone bad. He said, "It ain't the case! He's not!"
Ayer likewise addressed rumors saying that "Suicide Squad" had to go through various re-shoots just to amp the humor factor of the movie.
"I don't think you can do that," The Hollywood Reporter quoted Ayer as saying. "It's like, what, you got a scene where they're all cracking jokes and then you're back in the old scene? It doesn't work like that. The movie was always funny."
In related news, Entertainment Weekly reported that Will Smith, who plays Deadshot in the movie, went old school when he performed his 1998 hit, "Miami," at the block party held in celebration of the release of "Suicide Squad."
Co-stars Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Karen Fukuhara (Katana), and Jay Hernandez (El Diablo) joined him onstage. Incidentally, a "Suicide Squad" mural was unveiled on that same day. Check it out below.
"Suicide Squad" will hit theaters on Aug. 5. Meanwhile, here's a video of the highlights of the movie's panel at the San Diego Comic-Con.