After about a month of searching since Tom Hardy vacated the role of Rick Flag in upcoming DC Cinematic Universe movie, Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. and DC have apparently found their replacement. Actor, Joel Kinnaman, best known for playing the title role in last year’s remake of Robocop, has confirmed the rumours that he has been tapped to replace Hardy as Rick Flag, and claims that he has taken the part.
With the role of Rick Flag now secured again, it looks like the movie can keep its planned April filming start in Toronto, Ontario. Kinnaman joins Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as The Joker, Jai Courtney as (Captain) Boomerang, and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress. While Warner Bros. nor DC have made an official announcement, Viola Davis has also confirmed that she is currently attached to play Suicide Squad handler, Amanda Waller in the movie as well.
While an ordinary human with no superpowers, Rick Flag is a deadly military combatant at peak athletic condition, one who also happens to be an expert at espionage, demolitions and guerilla warfare. There have been three generations of Rick Flag characters in DC lore, all of which have served as recurring leaders of the Suicide Squad, designated by the government as ‘Task Force X’. Tom Hardy was forced to vacate the role after initially being cast in the part, due to timing conflicts with his current film project, The Revenant running behind schedule. Jake Gyllenhaal was offered the role, but reportedly passed on it. Jon Bernthal and Joel Edgerton were rumoured to be in consideration before Kinnaman was hired as the replacement for Hardy.
Directed by David Ayer and described as, “The Dirty Dozen with super-villains”, Suicide Squad chronicles a politically-sanctioned platoon of captured super-villains, conscripted into black ops work by the U.S. government in a bid for their freedom, and given impossible missions where they likely won’t survive, hence the squad’s colloquial name in DC lore. The movie will come to theatres on August 5th, 2016, a few months after the next DC Cinematic Universe movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which hits theatres on March 25th, 2016.
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