David Ayer still feels bad for Jared Leto

David Ayer says his "heart breaks" for Jared Leto after his poorly received performance in 'Suicide Squad'.

The 52-year-old director helmed the 2016 DC Extended Universe flick, in which Jared portrayal of the Joker was blasted by critics, who questioned the character's lack of involvement in the film, an issue that still bothers David.

Replying to a fan's take on Jared's Joker, he tweeted: "For sure character creation is a tightrope. I took inspiration from the current DC comics.

"I find it incredible it's still such a topic five years later. My heart breaks for Jared - he did magnificent work. Most of it remains unseen."

The 'Bright' director previously hinted that he would make the Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman pivotal to the plot if he could make the movie again.

He tweeted: "Wish I had a time machine. I'd make Joker the main villain and engineer a more grounded story. I have to take the good and bad and learn from it. I love making movies and I love DC [Comics]."

David also opened up on how he didn't enjoy the experience of working on 'Suicide Squad' and revealed that his confidence was dented by the harsh critical response.

He said: "I got some supercharged muscles on 'Suicide Squad', from making a film so big, but it was a rough experience. A tough experience. It became a bit of a slog at the end.

"It was an incredible financial success but I got flayed by the critics and that's scary, that's painful. And it shook my confidence as a storyteller."