As we know, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn is currently working on The Suicide Squad, a sequel/reboot of the 2016 DC supervillain ensemble, which is set to feature a “mostly new” roster of characters and actors.
In the past couple of weeks, it has been reported that Margot Robbie is likely to return as Harley Quinn, while Idris Elba (Thor: Ragnarok) is set to take over the role of Floyd Lawton, a.k.a. Deadshot, played by Will Smith in David Ayer’s original movie.
Smith had earlier announced his exit from the DCEU due to an apparent scheduling conflict, and THR is reporting that the character of Deadshot is key to Gunn’s plans for Task Force X, therefore it was impossible to cut the character from his script and a recasting was the only alternative.
Apparently Gunn is set to draw heavily from Jon Ostrander and Kim Yale’s run on the Suicide Squad comic book from the 1980s, where Deadshot was essentially the team’s leader and – as the only member of Task Force X with a death wish – he would often take on enormously risky missions with low survival rates, putting the rest of the team at risk in the process.
Meanwhile, in a report over at Collider, it is said that The Suicide Squad will feature the four following new characters:
Ratcatcher – a super-criminal and one of Batman’s many enemies. She started out as an exterminator in Gotham City before turning to a life of crime, aided by an army of small rodents she can communicate with and control. She’s also a fan of poisonous gas.
Nanaue – a super-villain and humanoid shark whose father is believed to be the so-called Shark God, though others dismiss him as merely a savage mutation.
Polka-Dot Man – a Gotham City super-villain and like Ratcatcher, a sworn enemy of Batman. He grows multi-colored polka dots on his body that he can turn into fireballs and other weapons, even though, for the most part, he’s embarrassed about his awkward abilities.
Peacemaker – an agent of peace whose motives are driven by an extremist form of pacifism that makes him love peace so much he would kill for it.
The site reports that Ratcatcher will be gender-swapped (the character is male in the comics) and serve as a kind of surrogate daughter to Deadshot, while Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista could be in contention for the role of Peacemaker.
What do you make of these Suicide Squad rumours? Are you looking forward to seeing Gunn’s take on Task Force X? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @FlickeringMyth…
