Joel Kinnaman (AKA RoboCop but we won’t hold that against him) is in “early talks” to play Rick Flagg in Suicide Squad from director David Ayer (Training Day, Fury). Kinnaman would be taking over the role from Tom Hardy, who dropped out of the production last month due to (officially) scheduling conflicts or (unofficially) a disagreement over script changes. The role was also offered to Jake Gyllenhaal, who has already passed.
Suicide Squad starts filming in mid-April, so Warner is looking to get the Squad’s leader cast pronto. They have other options if Kinnaman doesn’t sign on. THR says Joel Edgerton and Jon Bernthal are also being considered, but Kinnaman is the top contender. I’d buy that for a doll– oh, forget it.
If he signs, Kinnaman will be joining a cast which includes Jared Leto as The Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Will Smith as Deadshot, Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Gary Sinise as a mysterious character, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, and possibly Batfleck himself if the scheduling works out. Suicide Squad will hit theaters on August 5th, 2016.