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3 March 2015 - 06:46 AMT

Oscar winner Jared Leto changes appearance for “Suicide Squad” role

Jared Leto is prepping for his role in "Suicide Squad". The 30 Seconds to Mars frontman who is cast to take on the role of The Joker in the anti-hero flick is seemingly aiming for a clean-cut look as he has shaved his beard and cut his long ombre locks, AceShowbiz reports.

The movie's director David Ayer posted on Twitter a picture that showed a pair of hands ready to clip his ponytail with scissors. "Should we? #SuicideSquad," he wrote. In another picture, the "Dallas Buyers Club" actor is seen with short hair and clean face.

Many fans mourned Leto's long hair." "I'm devastated," one lamented, while another wrote, "I saw him give a post-oscar interview where he said the bun had to go soon. I was hoping he was joking." But they were not alone as the actor himself said, "I miss my beard already."

Based on DC Comics' supervillains, "Suicide Squad" is due August 5, 2016 in North America. Aside from shaving his beard and cutting his hair, Oscar winner Leto also gains weight for his role made famous by the late Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight".

He is joined in the cast ensemble by Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, and Cara Delevingne as Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Boomerang, and Enchantress respectively. Viola Davis is set to play Amanda Waller, the formidable agent who runs the covert team. In the latest rumor, "Robocop" star Joel Kinnaman is reported to be the frontrunner to play Rick Flag, the leader of the group. The role was initially set to be portrayed by Tom Hardy but the villainous Bane of Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" decided to leave the project.