Last year, Jared Leto made the jump to the superhero movie genre when he portrayed The Joker in Suicide Squad. Reception to Leto's Joker was mixed, and it's still unclear when we'll see his version of the Clown Prince of Crime back in action, be it in the Batman movie, Suicide Squad 2, Gotham City Sirens or a different movie. But as the wait continues for Leto's Joker to return to the DC Extended Universe, the actor appears to be taking a cue from Josh Brolin by potentially double-dipping in the superhero franchises, as Leto is reportedly being courted to join the Bloodshot movie as its lead.
In addition to establishing its own Spider-Man-less Spider-Man franchise with Venom and Silver & Black, Sony Pictures is also developing a cinematic universe based on Valiant Comics, and one of the early movies out of the gate for this franchise is Bloodshot. According to Deadline, Jared Leto is in early talks to board that blockbuster as Angelo Mortalli, a mafia hitman who becomes Bloodshot following after being forced into a experimental procedure. If a deal is worked out, Leto would be the second person to board the Bloodshot movie this year, preceded by director Dave Wilson. Leto would also be the second actor to portray Bloodshot in live action, as former Green Ranger Jason David Frank is playing him the the Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe web series.
In his previous life, Angelo Mortalli killed people for the mob, but his crime family betrayed him by framing for a murder he didn't commit. He quickly surrendered himself to the FBI to go into witness protection, but is betrayed yet again, this time by one of the agents supposed to be guarding him. Angelo was then take to Project Rising Sun, where his body was injected with nanites that rebuilt his brain and body. Angelo subsequently gained super strength, enhanced senses and regenerative abilities, but his memory was also erased in the process. Now a Frankenstein-like freak with no memory of his past life, Bloodshot was intended to be the ultimate weapon, but he escaped and is now trying to figure out who he once was while on the run.
Bloodshot is slated to be the second movie released in the Valiant cinematic universe. The first will be Harbinger, which will follow a teenager named Peter Stanchek, who is one of the few individuals on Earth gifted with natural superpowers. Both Harbinger and Bloodshot are expected to receive sequels, and then the plan is for these characters to cross paths in Harbinger Wars, the big team-up movie akin to The Avengers at Marvel and Justice League at DC. Since Jared Leto only played a supporting role as Joker in Suicide Squad, Bloodshot is his opportunity to take a lead in a superhero movie, but we'll have to wait and see if he eventually signs on the dotted line or if Sony will have to look at another actor for the job.
You can see Jared Leto back on the big screen when Blade Runner 2049 is released on October 7, and keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on what's happening with the Valiant cinematic universe.
