After months of speculation the dust has settled and we now have actors officially attached to bring to life numerous villains of the DC Comics universe. When it was rumored that Jai Courtney was attached to the Suicide Squad, we declined to report on the speculation that he had signed on to play Deadshot. Deadshot is one of the more prominent members of the Suicide Squad and it seemed misguided to place him in the forefront, while other more established actors would take a second seat. Well the chips have finally fallen and the Suicide Squad has been cast.
The most important casting for the upcoming universe of DC Comics on film was the selection of the Joker. After weeks of speculation it is official. We have a new cinematic Joker and his name is Jared Leto. Not much needs to be said about the casting as we have covered it in depth. Get used to looking at the new Clown Prince of Crime, because Leto’s face is sure to be popping up on screens regularly for the next few years. The Joker is the ultimate wild card (no pun intended), because his agenda is simply chaos. That should allow Warner Bros. to place him in a variety of places in their upcoming slate of DC Comics films.
Will Smith is larger than life and it seemed inevitable that he would one day join a comic book franchise. However most probably assumed that he would end up in a heroic capacity. (He still probably will.) He will be playing DC Comics most accurate sharpshooter, Deadshot. It truly was hard to see this casting come from a distance. However, seeing him play against the gruff Tom Hardy and bubbly Margot Robbie should be a treat. It is yet to be seen what type of characterization is in store for the assassin, but the interest level in this movie shot up ten-fold around the world with his confirmed involvement. Will we see Smith battle Ben Affleck’s Batman in the future? Hell yes, if studio executives have anything to say about it
Tom Hardy is coming back to the world of DC on film. He has put down the breathing apparatus from The Dark Knight Rises and has turned it in for a beret…or something. He will be playing the field general of the Suicide Squad, Rick Flagg. After seeing Brad Pitt in Fury, it is clear that director David Ayer leans towards gruff leadership and if that is the case, it doesn’t get much better than Hardy.
Margot Robbie has been confirmed for Harley Quinn, which is a huge building block for not just the character of Dr. Harleen Quinzell, but for the entire Batman universe. This will be the first time we see Harley and the Joker on-screen together, but probably won’t be the last. This should not only make it easier for a fresh interpretation of the Joker, but will finally give Harley the spotlight that the character is well-deserving of. Cara Delevingne, will also be joining the film as Enchantress. The aforementioned Jai Courtney will be playing Captain Boomerang.
The official announcement was made through Variety and Warner Bros. president Greg Silverman could not hold in his excitement.
“The Warner Bros. roots are deep on this one…We look forward to seeing this terrific ensemble, under David Ayer’s amazing guidance, give new meaning to what it means to be a villain and what it means to be a hero.”
Clearly Warner Bros. is pulling all the strings to get their top-notch talent involved in their superhero universe. It is clear that they are mounting a counter-assault on Marvel and judging by the caliber of talent that they have assembled for this film, should signal that they mean business. By all accounts the Suicide Squad is a B-level comic book franchise, yet they were able to populate the film version with Academy Award winners and nominees. This aggressive approach surely will continue in the future solo films as well.
The last major bit of assumed casting would be that of Suicide Squad head Amanda Waller. There hasn’t been much on her role or potential casting in the rumor mill. She has been portrayed many different ways over the years in the comics. Since they can’t give Angela Bassett the role again, as she played it in Green Lantern, maybe they can turn to someone like a Kerry Washington. We will keep our eyes on this bit of casting for you.
So now that the smoke has cleared and everything is official…what do ya think? Let us know and make sure to share our stories on Reddit, , and !
Suicide Squad is due in theaters August 5th, 2016.
Source: Variety