The Suicide Squad is humming along quite nicely, as more cast members are slowly announced. Today, it is being reported that James Gunn alum Michael Rooker is in talks to play iconic, yet somewhat obscure DC villain King Shark in the quasi-sequel/reboot.
Michael Rooker starred as Yondu in both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The character's death was a big story element in the sequel, and though some Marvel characters have been known to return from the dead, Gunn had confirmed long ago that Yondu wouldn't be getting resurrected in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. That movie was stalled, however, when James Gunn was fired for some old, very offensive joke Tweets about rape, pedophilia, 9/11 and race. He was, however, hired back to finish what he started earlier this year.
In the period where he wasn't working for Disney, Warner Bros. offered him a gig writing Suicide Squad 2, which became The Suicide Squad. They then later hired him to direct the movie. Because Guardians 3 was on the back burner at the time he agreed to jump ship and start working for DC, The Suicide Squad will come first.
Related: Viola Davis Will Return as Amanda Waller in The Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad is already set to hit theaters on August 6, 2021, with Peter Safran and Charles Roven producing the DC villains adventure. Gunn will be bringing his own style and personality to this next installment in the DCEU, with a story that follows several incarcerated bad guys who are given the chance to somewhat redeem themselves with a secret mission after being recruited by the government.
Michael Rooker hasn't only appeared in James Gunn's Guardians movies, he also starred in Gunn's horror thriller Slither and the R-rated Superhero comedy Super. He also appeared in the Gunn produced movies The Belko Experiment and Brightburn.
King Shark has most recently been used on The CW's The Flash. Created in 1994 by Karl Kesel, the villain is a humanoid shark creature who also happens to be the son of Chondrakha, God to all Sharks. King Shark first appeared opposite Superboy in the DC Comics. He has also been a member of the Secret Six, Secret Society of Super-Villains and the Suicide Squad.
David Ayer directed 2016's Suicide Squad, which was rushed into production and suffered from too many reshoots. The movie was a $750 million hit at the box office, though critics and fans alike felt it left a lot to be desired. It is believed that Margot Robbie will reprise her role as Harley Quinn, alongside Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang in this follow-up. Idris Elba is playing the de facto leader. He was originally cast in Will Smith's former role as Deadshot, but it was later decided that Deadshot wouldn't be replaced so that Smith could return to the DCEU at some unspecified point in the future.
Daniela Melchoir is in talks to play Ratcatcher, which will be a gender-swapped version of the DC villain. David Dastmalchain is aiming to be the very obscure bad guy Polka-Dot Man. There is also word that John Cena may be joining the team in some capacity.
It is believed that Viola Davis will reprise her role as Amanda Waller. Jared Leto, Ezra Miller, Jay Hernandez, Cara Delevingne and Joel Kinnaman have not been announced as returning. The Wrap broke the Michael Rooker casting news, but Warner Bros. has declined to publicly comment on the deal. The Suicide Squad begins shooting in the fall.
