The Flickering Myth writing staff react…
After weeks of speculation, we now have our official cast for Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer (Fury). Will Smith (Hancock) will be taking on the role of Deadshot, Cara Delevingne (Pan) will play Enchantress, Jai Courtney (Terminator: Genisys) will take on the part of Boomerang and Tom Hardy (The Drop) will lead the group as Rick Flagg. As previously rumoured, Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) will be The Joker alongside Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.
Villordsutch: This is one big mixed bag of names and it really could be a tragic mess as – harking back to days of Batman and Robin – or a surprising success.
Rob Kojder: Jared Leto is going to crush it as The Joker. Everyone else is pretty spot-on except Jai Courtney. That guy is an awful actor that just stinks up everything he is in.
Tom Jolliffe: I agree on Jai Courtney. He seems to be popping up everywhere now and thus far seems little more than mediocre. A poor man’s Sam Worthington. The rest of the cast on paper looks good. This could be very good. Certainly Leto as the Joker is what stands out. I can see him doing a very interesting take on it.
Luke Owen: “A poor man’s Sam Worthington” is the biggest insult I’ve heard all year! The casting is very interesting and should lead to a pretty fun film assuming the script and direction are good. I like the idea of the Suicide Squad and this could be DC’s first “win” over Marvel and beating them to getting a Thunderbolts movie out. However, I still maintain that the problems with the movie lie in a lack of origins for all the characters. Do you think you’ll get full Harley Quinn development in one movie where she’s part of a six-character ensemble? I think not.
Tom Jolliffe: For Courtney many doubts could be laid to rest in Terminator: Genisys, but I’m still burned from Die Hard 5: A Good Day To Shit on a Franchise. Suicide Squad could be very good. My gut tells me this will end up being as divisive as Watchmen.
Scott J Davis: It’s a strange one – think the casting itself is good on the whole (aside from the ridiculously successful Jai Courtney), and it will no doubt be an interesting watch. But I just don’t know if a film that is based around villains and a team up isn’t a recipe for disaster. Like Villordsutch says it could be great, or it could be Schumacher bad. Jury is out, but definitely intrigued by it all, and will be interesting to see Will Smith in such a role, and Leto as the Joker. Besides, Margot Robbie and Tom Hardy are enough to see it anyhow, without all the others…
Tom Jolliffe: They could still yet add Oprah to the cast which would be equal parts interesting and head scratching.
Rob Kojder: If they really do add Oprah I’ll cry. But first I’ll bitch about it on the Internet.
Tom Jolliffe: They should also get Jerry Springer in as the president. Which wouldn’t actually be the first film to have that dubious pleasure.
Rob Kojder: Let’s not forget David Ayer is a good director, having made Fury and End of Watch.
Luke Owen: So, he’s made one good film then?
Rob Kojder: Which didn’t you like?
Luke Owen: Well, Fury is fine. It’s a three-star movie at a push.
Tom Jolliffe: I hope it’s the David Ayer who made Fury turning up, and not the guy who made Sabotage.
James Garcia: I’m so glad that Courtney isn’t playing Deadshot, I think he’ll make a fine Captain Boomerang, though I agree he’s a poor man’s Sam Worthington. I’m hoping that’s because he just hasn’t been given good material thus far. We’ll see.
I love the idea of Leto as the Joker (though I hope he has a very small role in the film) and think Robbie is PERFECT for Harley Quinn. As for Hardy and Smith, we’re so so lucky that these two guys are in this film. I loved Hardy as Bane so I’m really glad to see him back in the DCU, even if it’s as someone kind of average like Rick Flagg. I don’t think enough people are talking about how great it is that Smith has signed on to play Deadshot. The guy doesn’t take villain roles. Period. His entire career has hinged on his desire to be the hero of the story. He passed on Django Unchained because he didn’t feel that the character was given enough of the credit for “saving the day,” (which is complete BS). So, the fact that he’s signed on to play a supervillain, even a potentially redeemable one, is HUGE.
Luke Owen: Do you think that Smith signed on because the Suicide Squad will be presented as heroes? They’re villains sure, but they are the “good guys” of the movie so to speak as we’re routing for them. This then gives him the chance to “save the day”.
James Garcia: I suspect that the Squad will face off against an even deadlier threat (maybe the Joker?), placing them technically as the “good guys” of the film. I know that Ayer has to find a way to make us root for them. I’m guessing the film will explore some moral grey areas.
What I like about the Suicide Squad though is that at the end of the day, these are all supervillains, not anti-heroes. They’re tasked with going on dangerous missions, but only complete them because it means that a) they get reduced prison sentences and b) because Amanda Waller will blow their heads off if they don’t. So, while they may “save the day” from time to time, they go right back into their regular life of crime once the missions are done.
Anthony Donovan Stokes: Everybody’s casting is great. Jai Courteney as Boomerang is great because boomerang is a walking punchline which is super ironic. My only real problem with the casting is Will Smith. Deadshot’s backstory and motivation in the hands of will smith can be incredibly trite and I bet he took this role because his character will still be looked at as a good guy. Your taking a character that can be pretty dull and trite and then giving him to an actor who hasn’t had a good performance in years. He can’t seem to let go of trying to be a leading man and he’s the equivalence of Johnny Depp to me at this point. Denzel would’ve been a better choice.
Oliver Davis: I have a soft spot for Jai Courteney, and I think he’ll look the part in a beanie hat. I don’t know how good his Australian accent is, though. From a PR perspective, I’m surprised they confirmed all these names in one announcement. I thought they would’ve drip feed them.
Matthew Skeen: Ah but Oliver Davis if they had drip fed them would we be giving the world another glorious FlickeringMyth Reaction piece? I’m sure that was WB’s main concern. In all seriousness it’s probably the first DC movie outside of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that I feel any excitement for.
Chris Cooper: Hm. It’s a good cast bar Courtney. Robbie is perfect as Quinn but I’m not sure about Smith being a villain. I’d like to be surprised though. It’s a mixed bag overall really. For every good point I can think of a bad one. First thought I had was that Leto is going to be tiny when he goes up against Batfleck. That must be nearly a foot difference in height!
Ray Willmott: Very interesting casting all round, but like everyone else, Smith is the shocker for me. He can do gritty and hard-hitting, but also adds a vibrant flair to his characters, so it’ll be very interesting to see how he plays Deadshot. Very unusual to see him in a bad-guy role, though Hancock kind of toyed with the idea of a bad guy being seen in a semi-positive light. In other news, thank god those Leto rumours turned out to be true. Can’t imagine anyone trying to follow in Ledger’s footsteps, especially considering his death still feels quite raw, but Leto definitely has the best shot & I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people
Tom Jolliffe: Smith is also in dire need of a boost right now too. This is a good step outside the norm for him and undoubtedly a money spinner so it could put him firmly back up at the top end of the blockbuster star league.
Andrew Naylor: Very interested to see what Leto brings to the Joker.
Anghus Houvouras: This is by far my favorite mainstream comic book concept. I’ve been a big fan of Suicide Squad for a long time, and the fact that Warner Brothers is treating it like a triple A property makes me happy. As a fan of the series for a long time, all the casting seems insanely inspired but nothing that i would have expected. Smith as Deadshot? Bananas. I think Ayer is a talented director, and i think this could be something rare in the world of comic book moves: unique.
William Fanelli: Leto as the Joker will certainly make it worth the watch.
Mike P Williams: Excited for Robbie, but not about Smith. Leto will hopefully be most watchable.
Helen Murdoch: I’m on board with Jared Leto as The Joker and Margot Robbie as Quinn. Smith is the one I’m not sure on. His career of late (if he’s had one) hasn’t delivered any thrills. I’m not sure if he can bring it back. Saying that I’m happy to be proven wrong!
Tom Roach: Not suprising as all of these guys were rumoured. Still concerned about the film as these guys are villains and I fear they will be portrayed as lovable rogues. I also think that Will Smith’s Deadshot will be the top dog. There is no way Will Smith would take a supporting role in a film. Leto has big shoes to fill but I am sure he can pull it off. Bring on set photos and trailer asap.
Kris Wall: I really like the idea of Jared Leto and Margo Robbie paired up together, I’m not a big fan of Leto as a person but I’ve always enjoyed his film roles, he’s quite the chameleon which could translate well to The Joker. Tom Hardy is one of my absolute favourite actors so I’m always happy to see him playing absolutely anybody in absolutely anything. Jai Courteney is proving quite the up and comer but has yet to put out a truly memorable role, he’s clearly doing something right with this and Terminator: Genisys on the horizon though. Will Smith as Deadshot is certainly intriguing but it’ll be the chemistry between Leto and Robbie that I’ll be most excited to see. As for Cara Delevigne, well she’s still one of my most loathed people on the planet and I don’t see this changing that anytime soon.
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So there you have it. Mostly positive with only a few negative nancies in the fray. What did you make of the casting? You can check out the Flickering Myth Podcast’s thoughts on Suicide Squad using the player below:
