Until now, every screen iteration of the Joker has been as the villain in a Batman movie or TV show. But 2016 will see the iconic DC villain take centre stage in Suicide Squad, with Jared Leto starring in the role previously played by the likes of Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson. Now Empire magazine has provided the best look yet at the character--check out the images below, via CBR:

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　　ComicBookMovie.com quotes producer Charles Roven as saying that the look of Suicide's Squad's Joker was "inspired by Mexican cartels."

　　Earlier this month, the film's co-star Will Smith revealed that despite working with Leto for months, he had never spoken to the actor out-of-character. "I've never actually met Jared Leto," he said an interview with the Beats One radio show. "We worked together for six months and we've never exchanged a word outside of 'Action!' and 'Cut!' I literally have not met him yet. So, the first time I see him will be 'Hey, Jared. What's up?' He was all in on the Joker."

　　In the new Empire interview, Leto admits that he took a "deep dive" into the character. "There was definitely a period of detachment," he said. "But this was a unique opportunity and I couldn't imagine doing it another way. It was fun, playing those psychological games."

　　Suicide Squad is directed Fury's David Ayer, and tells the story of a group of death row supervillains, who are employed covertly by the US government to perform dangerous missions, in return for reduced prison sentences. The film is due for release on August 5, 2016, and also stars Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, and Jai Courtney.