Joel Kinnaman Will Not Return In James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’

Joel Kinnaman James Gunn Suicide Squad

Joel Kinnaman will not be returning as Rick Flagg for James Gunn’s Suicide Squad.

The news regarding Joel Kinnaman comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the story today. You might recall that James Gunn, the director of both Guardians of the Galaxy films for Marvel Studios, was recently let go by Disney for a series of inappropriate tweets he sent out almost a decade ago. It was recently reported that Gunn would take over the Suicide Squad franchise for Warner Bros. and DC from its original director David Ayer and that Gunn’s new film, The Suicide Squad, would feature almost an entirely new slate of characters from the roster of DC Comics.

This update, as well as recent personnel shifts over at Warner Bros and DC, see to cement those earlier reports as James Gunn seems to have axed David Ayer’s take on the Rick Flagg character from his film and consequentially actor Joel Kinnaman. Last week, Suicide Squad star Will Smith and the studio amicably parted ways and the actor will not be returning for James Gunn. The Hollywood Reporter also notes that Idris Elba is in talks to replace Will Smith as the marquee name on The Suicide Squad. Elba is reportedly James Gunn’s first choice to lead the ensemble project.

The changing of the guard fits the source material. In the comics, the Suicide Squad was continually featuring an ever-changing lineup of villains and anti-heroes from the DC universe.

The Suicide Squad is one of many projects currently being developed by Warner Bros. and DC Films, including The Batman, The Flash standalone film, Green Lantern Corps, Birds of Prey, Black Adam, Cyborg, Nightwing, Supergirl, New Gods, a Deathstroke film, and a Joker origin movie set outside of the DCEU.

Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on all DC projects!

The film will hit theaters August 6th, 2021!

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Suicide Squad Characters That Can Appear In The James Gunn Sequel

James Gunn is directing The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros. but that comes at a cost.

When the first Suicide Squad was about to hit theaters DC fans were completely ecstatic. The trailers looked great and the feel of the movie was much different than the darkness that preceded it in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This movie was expected to be one of DC’s biggest hits and it turned out to be one of the biggest let-downs of all time.

Suicide Squad was bad and its reviews reflected that. It was one of the only movies I’ve ever been upset at and it made me want to leave the theater. A sequel was announced because the film did well at the box office, going through a number of drafts until James Gunn was brought on to write it. With James Gunn now officially set to direct The Suicide Squad, it looks like the film will be a bit of a soft reboot.

Last night was a bit of a DC maelstrom of news. We got the release dates and official titles of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Both movies will be hitting theaters in Summer 2021. Throughout all of the chaos a small tidbit surfaced about The Suicide Squad: the James Gunn-directed film will be some sort of relaunch with new characters and actors. Here are the characters I think James Gunn should introduce in his Suicide Squad movie.

Amanda Waller

Warner Bros. and DC may want to reboot Suicide Squad, but it would be seriously dumb for them to recast Amanda Waller. Viola Davis was one of the saving graces of the first film and bringing her back is the smart thing to do. Amanda Waller is the one that puts the group together and she shouldn’t be changed due to a new director.

Black Manta

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II made his debut as Black Manta in Aquaman and he didn’t get much screen time. The Suicide Squad is the best place for Black Manta to receive some character development and for audiences to see him grow as a villain. Black Manta is a main squad member in the New 52 and I think James Gunn could do the character justice.

Deadshot

Another bright spot from the first film: Will Smith as Floyd Lawton, a.k.a. Deadshot. Will Smith is one of the most famous actors of all time and throughout every review of Suicide Squad his character shines. His charisma and screen presence dominated the film. Not bringing Smith back would be sabotaging the sequel as fans will expect the actor to return following his great performance.

Deathstroke

Joe Manganiello made his debut as Deathstroke in the post-credits scene of Justice League. His character wasn’t as eager for a team-up as Lex Luthor, but we could see the assassin enroll in the Suicide Squad. It could be great for Manganiello as his Deathstroke film has been put on the back-burner.

Killer Frost

This character is unlikely to show up in The Suicide Squad as she’s being heavily utilized in The Flash series on The CW. But, if James Gunn does get his hands on Killer Frost, I guarantee the character will not be a complete shitshow like in the series. Hopefully the director can make Killer Frost as villainous as possible.

Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy will definitely return to the big screen. Pamela Isley made her big screen debut in Batman & Robin with Uma Thurman playing the character and while that film is so campily terrible, fans are looking forward to a modern take on the iconic DC Comics villain. Poison Ivy is rumored to be part of a Gotham City Sirens film and a rumored Birds of Prey versus The Gotham City Siren project. Ivy could definitely make her DC Extended Universe debut in The Suicide Squad and then return for more movies.

King Shark

King Shark was supposed to be in the first Suicide Squad, but ultimately didn’t make the cut. The concept art of the character shows the cold-blooded amphibious mutant in a Hawaiian shirt looking like a totally monstrous shark. If James Gunn does decide to utilize this character it would be fun to see what he does on screen.

Bronze Tiger

Bronze Tiger was heavily featured in the first half of Arrow season 7. He was a major help to Oliver Queen during his tenure in prison. But Arrow hasn’t done a very accurate version of Bronze Tiger and The Suicide Squad could be the first place we get to see Ben Turner really let loose.

Bane

Bane is an interesting choice to join The Suicide Squad. He is a member in the comics and even the first film had some concept art featuring his mask. Fans are clamoring for Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista to join the film as the iconic Batman villain, having the actor reunite with James Gunn.

Cheetah

Kristen Wiig will make her debut as infamous Wonder Woman villain Cheetah in 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984. Maybe after the film, Cheetah gets locked up by A.R.G.U.S. and joins the Squad in present day. It would be great to see Wiig’s character be explored more in future films.