Just after the announcement that Idris Elba is in talks to replace Will Smith as Deadshot, Collider came in with a report of four new characters that will appear in ‘The Suicide Squad.’ Let us go through each of them, shall we?
Ratcatcher, aka Otis Flannegan:
While from DC comics lore, the character will be a gender-swap this time, with a woman playing the role. Ratcatcher is is a super-criminal and one of Batman’s many enemies. She went from 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, aka King Shark:
A super-villain and humanoid shark whose father is supposedly Shark God, though others dismiss him as merely a savage mutation.
Polka-Dot Man, aka Mister Polka Dot:
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, aka Christopher Smith:
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.
For Peacemaker specifically, Dave Bautista is the actor of choice for Gunn. This makes sense considering their friendship that began on the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ films. Bautista has 20th Century Fox’s ‘Stuber’ next, releasing July 12. He will soon be on-set for the filming of Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ reboot, releasing November 20, 2020. He may also be in Zack Snyder’s ‘Army of the Dead,’ coming to Netflix.
Meanwhile, James Gunn serves as writer and director for ‘The Suicide Squad’ (the current title anyway). The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director will not make a direct sequel to 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad,’ but rather a “relaunch.” Gunn’s focus is to take the franchise in a new direction with a mostly all-new cast of characters and actors. Further, the project is very much rooted in Gunn’s vibe, as seen in the ‘Guardians’ movies.
Recently, The Hollywood Reporter gave some insight about some of the other original Squad members:
“Gunn is said to be using mostly DC characters who did not appear in David Ayer’s 2016 film although several are expected to return including Deadshot, Harley Quinn and Rick Flagg, originally played by Joel Kinnaman, say sources. Another source, however, says Flagg is no longer in the follow-up.”
Moreover, Warner Bro.’s excitement of the project spread so much that the film is now in the casting stage. This is due to Gunn swiftly submitting several drafts, since his hiring last October.
Additionally, filming will begin this September in Atlanta.
Warner Bros. will release the film on August 6, 2021.
Source: Collider