When Idris Elba first signed up to star in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, had rumored that he would take over the British actor’s role from Deadshot from Will Smith, who bowed out due to conflict plans. Months later, the news broke that Gunn was set to remove the sharpshooter killer completely from his script out of respect for Smith – but Elba would remain on board the project. So who would he play instead? Gunn and Warner Bros. were tight lips. That is, until the DC FanDome event.
On Saturday, Gunn took the digital stage to finally announce Elba’s role in the reboot-ish sequel: He plays Bloodsport.
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Image: Warner Bros. images
The character has had a few variations since DC’s New 52 reboot, but basically he uses cannons to pick up Superman. His original origins showed that a man had a mental breakdown after finding out that his brother had taken his place in the design for Vietnam, and was manipulated by Lex Luthor to accuse Superman. A version of the character also appeared in The CW’s Great girl.
The Suicide Squad star Margot Robbie again as Harley Quinn, fresh from the events of Birds of prey, along with Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.
There are a ton of other newbies joining Elba. The announced cast includes Michael Rooker as Savant, Flula Borg as Javelin, Alice Braga as Solsoria, Nathan Fillion as TDK, John Cena as Peacemaker, Peter Capaldi as the Thinker, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, newcomer Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher, and Sean Gunn and Steve Agee as the voice / movement record artists behind Weasel and King Shark respectively.
The Suicide Squad was one of the few films to complete the recording before the COVID-19 pandemic shuts down most film production around the world. The film is currently set to hit theaters on August 6, 2021.
