Looks like Warner Bros has found the replacement for Tom Hardy in SUICIDE SQUAD. The rebooted ROBOCOP himself, Joel Kinnaman, will take the role of the Squad’s leader in David Ayer‘s DC Comics adaptation. The Wrap reports that multiple sources have Kinnaman landing the role but nothing is officially confirmed yet from the studio.
Hardy was originally named to the role alongside Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, and Cara Delevinge. Viola Davis was later added as Amanda Waller (yet to be official) and Jesse Eisenberg may appear as Lex Luthor. Hardy had to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts with Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu’s THE REVENANT as well as the promotional obligations for MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. Jake Gyllenhaal was amongst several names floated for the role of Rick Flag. Kinnaman has been on the uptick since his breakout role in the American version of THE KILLING. He already had a career in his native Sweden before landing parts in THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, CHILD 44 (also with Tom Hardy), ROBOCOP, and the upcoming Liam Neeson movie RUN ALL NIGHT.
SUICIDE SQUAD is set to begin shooting soon and David Ayer has been sharing a lot of stuff on Twitter. Hopefully we can now call the cast complete and let the shooting begin. SUICIDE SQUAD is slated to hit theaters on August 5, 2016.