Jared Leto might be lining up his next villainous role, as the actor is in talks to play a serial killer in the upcoming thriller The Little Things. If cast, Leto would be starring opposite Denzel Washington and Rami Malek, who'd be playing the police officers pursuing him. Their castings were first reported on back in May. The Blind Side and The Highwaymen helmer John Lee Hancock is also on board to write and direct, with Mark Johnson producing. In development from Warner Bros., the project is set to begin shooting this fall.

The story will follow burned-out Kern County, California deputy sheriff Deke (Denzel Washington) who teams with crack LASD detective Baxter (Malek) in the hunt for a dangerous serial killer. According to the plot description, Deke's nose for the "little things" proves eerily accurate, but his willingness to circumvent the rules embroils Baxter in a soul-shattering dilemma. Meanwhile, Deke must wrestle with a dark secret from his past. Considering the involvement of Washington and Malek in these lead roles, the acting will be on point if nothing else, as Leto should be able to play off of them well.

Of course, this is far from the first antagonistic role for Jared Leto to take on. After famously playing a murder victim to Christian Bale's Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, Leto would later himself be playing a murderer in the 2007 biopic Chapter 27. Based on the killing of John Lennon, the movie follows the legendary musician's killer, Mark David Chapman, with Leto portraying him. The title refers to the 26-chapter novel The Catcher in the Rye, which Chapman had blamed for Lennon's murder. For the part, Leto intentionally gained nearly 70 pounds to look more like the real-life version of the notorious killer. Lindsay Lohan also starred as a friend of Chapman's, with Mark Lindsay Chapman playing John Lennon.

More recently, Leto joined the DCEU as one of its most well-known villains when he was cast as the Joker for Suicide Squad. The story introduced several new versions of famous DC villains with an ensemble cast, and although reviews for the movie weren't positive, Leto's performance itself was praised. Because co-star Margot Robbie is reprising the role of Harley Quinn in an upcoming spin-off, it's possible we'll one day see Jared Leto as the Clown Prince of Crime again as well. Back in May, Leto said he would "definitely play the Joker again," so as long as the right script came along. Since then, Leto also would appear as the villain Niander Wallace in Blade Runner 2049, showing he has no problem playing the bad guy as he's apparently very good at it.

It's not going to be all villains for Leto, as the actor is set to play the titular antihero Morbius, the Living Vampire for Sony's Marvel Universe. Martine Bancroft and Loxias Crown also star, and that movie is set to be released on July 31, 2020. No word yet on when The Little Things will be released. This news comes to us from Variety.