Instagram drug lords inspired Jared Leto’s Joker

• Nick Spake


• 17 Jun 2016

Suicide Squad director David Ayer has revealed that the design for Jared Leto’s Joker was inspired by Instagram drug lords.

“A lot of it has to do with creating a character with some kind of history and footprint in our world, and not have this sacrosanct being outside of our continuum, our reality,” Ayer said in a Yahoo interview (via Birth.Movies.Death.). “In my mind, I took a lot of inspiration from drug lords on Instagram. It’s a great way to understand the lifestyle of a villain.”

The director went on to say that the Joker’s tattoos “tell a very specific story” and  “Eventually people will decipher them and understand what’s going on, but obviously they’re contentious.”

Taking another look at the Joker’s design, this news really isn’t that surprising.

Suicide Squad hits theaters on August 5.