AceShowbiz -

Won't Jared Leto reprise his role as The Joker in future Warner Bros./DC movies? A new report has emerged saying that the 45-year-old Oscar-winning actor is circling a lead role in another superhero movie franchise at Sony Pictures.

According to Deadline, Leto is in early negotiations to take on the lead role in "Bloodshot", a movie adaptation of the comic from Valliant Entertainment. If the deal is sealed, the actor will portray the title character whose alter-ego is Angelo Mortalli.

In partnership with "Deadpool" helmer Tim Miller's Blur Studios, Dave Wilson is attached to direct the sci-fi/action feature project, which will be produced by Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe through their Original Film banner. Jason Kothari and Dinesh Shamdasaniof Valiant are executive producing.

Described as being, in part, a crime-oriented Frankenstein thriller, the story centers on mob killer Angelo Mortalli who enters a witness protection program. When he is betrayed by a handler, he becomes part of a secret experiment to create the ultimate killing machine.

His memories are erased and he is injected with microscopic computers called nanites. Now an unstoppable force, he tries to rediscover who he was while battling both the mob and the police.

Part of Sony's attempt to create a cinematic universe out of the various Valiant IP, "Bloodshot" is the second film from a five-picture deal between Beverly Hills-based DMG and Valiant. Sony acquired the "Bloodshot" movie series from Valiant back in 2012.

The first in the series was "Harbinger". Sequels are planned for both "Harbinger" and "Bloodshot" before the title characters meet in "Harbinger Wars", which is based on Valiant's 2013 comic book crossover.

Meanwhile, Leto previously played The Joker in 2016's "Suicide Squad". He will next be seen in "Blade Runner 2049", which hits U.S. theaters on October 6, opposite Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford.