Yesterday, we learned that WB had already penciled in an August 2016 release date for David Ayer's adaptation of DC's SUICIDE SQUAD. There were quickly rumors that Ayer/WB were talking to Ryan Gosling, Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Tom Hardy for roles in the flick that will team-up several DC supervillains as a sort of EXPENDABLES-esque cadre of merciless badasses.
It seems that two of those names are closer to signing than the others. Smith and Hardy "are circling the film", which has to come together fairly quickly to meet that '16 release date.
We don't know much about this incarnation of SUICIDE SQUAD, other than that it will ostensibly be died into the JUSTICE LEAGUE universe that BATMAN V. SUPERMAN will be significantly expanding. I'm guessing that the lineup will include Dr. Amanda Waller, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and Harley Quinn, with Rick Flag, Black Spider and Killer Frost as strong possibilities.
With that lineup, I'd guess Hardy's up for Deadshot a.k.a. Floyd Lawton, while Smith would probably play Black Spider a.k.a. Eric Needham. Robbie is probably who they want for Harley Quinn, and Gosling could play the second Captain Boomerang a.k.a. Owen Mercer or even Rick Flag Jr. But until we hear an official lineup, this is all pure, utter speculation. The SUICIDE SQUAD has had a ton of members over the years, and there's no telling who will appear in Ayer's finished film.
Still, this gives us a definite idea of the kind of star-power they're looking at for their second big dip into DC's expanded universe. If they can really get Smith, Robbie, Gosling, and Hardy to sign on, then they have a nice little package in their corner even before the ink on the script dries.
Expect to hear a lot more about this flick in the coming months. If WB really wants to get this out a mere 5 months after BATMAN V. SUPERMAN, then Ayer & co. have their work cut out for them.
SUICIDE SQUAD goes bad on August 5th, 2016.
