New Names Linked For SUICIDE SQUAD; Karl Urban And Jason Clarke In The Mix For Flagg And Deathstroke

A new crop of names are being linked for roles in David Ayer's Suicide Squad via JoBlo.

It looks like there is a fifth actor being looked at for the role of Rick Flagg, and it's Dredd himself Karl Urban. You might remember it was only a couple of days ago that Karl was being linked for the villain role in Aquaman. I'm sure we could be hearing even more actors but Karl is an interesting addition to the mix of names.

I have my own thoughts why so many actors are passing on this part.

The role of Flagg was originally alluring to Tom Hardy before the part was scaled back in Ayer's rewrites and the role could be a lot more minor than people are expecting it to be. Basically, they're looking at big names but the part doesn't seem to have enough bite to attract the level of actors they want for it.

Flagg could also be off-putting to a lot of these candidates mostly because it could kill their shot at a leading superhero franchise. Marvel usually avoids casting actors who have been apart of DC films and taking the role could nix franchise potential in the DC side as well.

Again, from what I've been hearing Flagg might not even be in sequels, the role is pretty minor compared to the comics and this could be a tough sell to rising actors like Jake Gyllenhaal (already passed), Jon Bernthal and even Joel Edgerton.

Tom, Jake and Joel had been linked for Marvel Studios franchise leads, so it's unlikely we'd see them taking DC scraps which Flagg is starting to look like.

JoBlo is affirming talk that Deathstroke is indeed in the film but won't be on the actual team.

Joe Manganiello is said to the Ayer's first choice as he previously worked with Ayer on Sabotage.

Aussie Jason Clarke is also being considered for the role.

It's not hard to see why the studio would want to have Clarke play the role having a huge breakout hit with Dawn of the Planet of The Apes last summer. He's also playing the new John Connor this year in Terminator: Genisys opposite Captain Boomerang's Jai Courtney. 

The role itself could end-up becoming one of the more important characters moving forward into the DCCU, as there is crossover potential with the Batman films along with a solo film which had been developed and produced by David Goyer (Blade, Batman Begins).

Other actors such as Ed Harris (The Rock, A History of Violence, Enemy At The Gates), Gary Sinise (Forest Gump) and Max Martini (Sabotage, Pacific Rim, The Unit) are linked for roles but those are considered spoilers, feel free to check out the link to have some of the film's plot ruined.

Production is expected to begin in April at Pinewood Studios, Toronto with a release date of August 5th, 2016.

SOURCE: JOBLO

RUMOR: Deathstroke Also Apart Of SUICIDE SQUAD Lineup?

ComicBookMovie has word from a Reddit user that claims to have been apart of a test-group at Warner Bros. for David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Revealing possible plot details of the film, which I will exclude here. One piece of information which was a major standout, Deathstroke is apparently apart of the film. This person also claims to have seen concept art for the villain as well.

We've been hearing rumblings for weeks that Deathstroke could be apart of the film. While nothing official or from our usual trusted channels have commented on this. I'm suspect of this, only because of the source, not because of likelihood of this happening. Deathstroke is an extremely popular villain, thanks to Arrow and the video game Arkham Origins. It doesn't hurt that he's also apart of the new Suicide Squad lineup in the comics. Harley Quinn didn't join the team until 2011, so they are including newer members for the film.

It should be noted that the original lineup for Suicide Squad in the Justin Marks script is drastically different than the current one reported by the trades. It's also possible that the film is still undergoing rewrites from David Ayer and lineup is still being adjusted. Test-groups could be there to help flush-out which characters should be changed or the direction of the film. Then again, this event might have never taken place.

One opinion I've heard makes the most sense here. That Tom Hardy's Rick Flagg could be a studio distraction and that character might actually be Deathstroke (or rewritten to become him). Flagg seems like an extremely obscure character for someone as big as Tom Hardy would play. Considering he's leading the hugely anticipated Mad Max: Fury Road and was being offered roles like Doctor Strange, Sandman in Sinister Six and lead role in X-Men Apocalypse. You'd expect his role in the film would be a lot bigger.

If you look at a majority of the lineup, they're mostly known and recognizable DC Comics characters. Flagg, for the most is only known to die-hard DC fans and likely wouldn't have the awareness that Deathstroke would. Plus, who wouldn't rather see Hardy play an iconic character like Deathstroke? We know that Hardy is able to pull off a role like this that could allow crossovers to other DC films, (Batman solo film or Supermax?).



SOURCE: COMICBOOKMOVIE

Oscar Level Actresses Wanted For Amanda Waller In SUICIDE SQUAD

We're already reeling from the huge casting announcement concerning Suicide Squad, but it's not over yet. There are already rumblings of who the studio wants for the role of Amanda Waller. The ruthless government agent who runs the Suicide Squad program. According to Variety, the first choice is Oscar nominee Oprah Winfrey (Color Purple, Butler, Selma) but Oscar winners Viola Davis (The Help, Ender's Game, Doubt, Prisoners, Blackhat, Knight And Day, Law Abiding Citizen) and Octavia Spencer (Snowpiercer, The Help, Insurgent) are also on their radar.

I would be fine with any of these ladies in the role, but Viola Davis has played more characters like this and could be very convincing as the menacing Waller. Her experience in action films might make her a more suitable casting choice. However, like I've been saying on Twitter this role could end-up being similar to Tyler Perry's oddball casting in David Fincher's Gone Girl, only to become a highlight of the film.


SOURCE: VARIETY

Warner Bros. Confirms Cast For SUICIDE SQUAD And Will Smith Will Indeed Lead As Deadshot

Warner Bros. has made it official and has revealed a majority of the casting for David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Confirming that Oscar winning actor Jared Leto (Fight Club, Lord of War, Panic Room, Requiem For A Dream, Dallas Buyers Club) will indeed be playing our new Joker in the film. Along with Will Smith (Bad Boys, I, Robot, I Am Legend) taking the lead role of Deadshot, which I had been claiming since the first wave of casting news. DC alumni Tom Hardy (Mad Max Fury Road, Inception, Dark Knight Returns, RockNRolla) is playing Rick Flagg and Margot Robbie (Wolf of Wall Street,  is indeed playing Harley Quinn.

Some outlets were claiming Aussie meat-head Jai Courtney (Die Hard 5, Terminator 5, Jack Reacher) was taking the lead part of Deadshot, that sounded insane to me considering his terrible acting track record. This announcement confirms he's actually playing volatile Aussie DC villain Harkness aka Captain Boomerang, perfect casting if you ask me.

In an extremely odd move on the part of Warner Bros., they've cast Cara Delevinge as Enchantress. A magic focused villain created in 1996, who shares a name with a famous sorceress Thor baddie who was created back in the 1960s. I'm curious if Warner Bros. can even use the character name since Marvel has been protective of their characters' copyrights. This isn't a case of character sharing like Marvel has done with Fox in the past, since these are two separate comic book companies. You might remember that DC Comics' Shazam! was originally Captain Marvel, but Marvel ended-up forcing DC to change the name. It's also bizarre the DC character design looks a lot like Marvel's Lady Loki, check out the comparison below.

SOURCE: WB

David Ayer's SUICIDE SQUAD Cast Finalizing Talks And Will Smith Out Of The Mix?

THR is reporting that actors Tom Hardy, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney and Jared Leto are finalizing talks to take roles in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Margot is expected to play Harley Quinn with Jared Leto likely set for the new Joker. It's bit weird that people are reporting Aussie Jai Courtney is being looked-at for the lead role of Deadshot (leader of the group), while British actor Tom Hardy is linked for Aussie villain Harkness. I'm really hoping meat-head actor Jai Courtney isn't the lead of this film, and he's actually being placed in the secondary role of Harkness. Hardy seems more viable as the face of the franchise, and having actors like Leto, Hardy and Robbie playing second fiddle to Courtney seems just insane to me.

The film will begin pre-production in February with shooting expected to start in April. Production stages will be in my neck of the woods at Pinewood Studios Toronto. Films shot in the city are known having set photos leak in bulk, examples include Total Recall and Robocop. I expect we'll start seeing set images start rolling-out online in April. The release date is set for August 5th, 2016 and will be the first film post-Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

This news oddly has Will Smith's name missing from the lineup, which could mean he's out of the mix. We've been cautious about Smith's participation mainly since he's notorious for entering sequel talks and backing-out last minute. I'm unsure if Will would be willing to commit to sequels this film would likely spawn. It's normal for comic book contracts to include multiple film commitments. Having a feeling these characters will be showing up in other DC Comics films in the future, since most of the characters are Batman villains. Nothing says he won't end-up in the film, it just seems odd he's not apart of this update on the film.

SOURCE: THR

UPDATED: Jai Courtney Wanted For Deadshot Role In SUICIDE SQAUD

Wow, talk about terrible casting. Variety reports that Warner Bros. is eyeing Aussie Jai Courtney (Die Hard 5, Jack Reacher) for the main role of Deadshot in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. I say terrible because Jai is known for some pretty lousy acting. His addition to the new Terminator film actually made me mad. I won't say that this could ruin the film, but having better actors surrounding him it will be glaring how out of place he'll be in that cast. He's not the leading man type, and this is just really weird lead casting.

Variety is also states that Margot Robbie is indeed looking to play Harley Quinn. They also mention that Tom Hardy is looking to be placed in the Rick Flag role. Not Harkness, which I assume he was since the actor is known for stellar accents. Instead Will Smith is apparently wanted for Harkness. This is sort of bizarre to me since Captain Boomerang is established as an Aussie villain. Smith isn't known for his accents, and hiring Aussie actor Jai Courtney for that role seems like a better move on the part of DC. I'm kind of hoping Variety got these male roles mixed-up, because this sounds ridiculous to me. Placing Will Smith and Tom Hardy in supporting roles seems fishy to me, those two are stronger leads than Courtney.

Jesse Eisenberg is said to be in talks to reprise the role of Lex Luthor in the film. Jared Leto could be our next Joker, and might be an excellent way to introduce the manic villain to this new DCU. David Ayer is directing with a release date set for August 2016, months after Batman v Superman drops. Production is expected to begin sooner than expected.

UPDATE: Deadline is now reporting that Courtney might be cast in another DC movie, which isn't Suicide Squad. There are plenty of films in the works including Wonder Woman, Shazam!, Aquaman, Justice League and The Flash coming-up next.

SOURCE: VARIETY

TERMINATOR: GENESIS Set Images With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney And Jason Clarke

Production has been underway for a few weeks on Alan Taylor's Terminator: Genesis. A few set photos have been making their way online thanks to outlets like JustJared and DailyMail. We get our first glimpses of Arnold Schwarzenegger as an aged T-800 model terminator. Along with Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney and Jason Clarke. There is also a photo from a shootout scene with Emilia and Jai's stunt-doubles.

Byung-Hun Lee And Others Roundout The TERMINATOR: GENESIS Cast

THR reports the rest of the Terminator: Genesis cast has been hired. They include Korean actor Byung-Hun Lee (G.I. Joe 1-2, I Saw The Devil, Red 2), J.K. Simmons (Juno, Thank You For Smoking, Oz, Spider-Man 1-3), Sandrine Holt (House of Cards) and Michael Galdis (Mad Men). Most of their roles aren't being revealed, but Simmons will play a cop.

Production is about to begin with Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Jason Clarke (Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, Zero Dark Thirty), Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dayo Okeniyi (Hunger Games) and Jai Courtney (A Good Day To Die Hard, Jack Reacher) in lead roles. It's release date is set for July 1st, 2015.


SOURCE: THR

HUNGER GAMES Actor Dayo Okeniyi Takes Final TERMINATOR: GENESIS Lead Role

Variety reports that Hunger Games actor Dayo Okeniyi has landed a lead role in Terminator: Genesis. He'll play Danny Dyson, the son of Skynet key-creator Miles Dyson (last seen in Terminator 2). As a boy Danny was exposed to The Connors and the terminator, when Sarah went rogue and tried to assassinate his father. Miles went-on to help destroy his work and sacrificed his life. I assume that Danny's role will be action-focused.

Dayo apparently was up against John Boyega (Attack The Block) for the part. It's unknown if John's rumored participation with Star Wars: Episode VII casting had anything to do with not landing the role.


SOURCE: VARIETY

Paramount Hires Jai Courtney Over Rising-Star Boyd Holbrook For Kyle Reese In TERMINATOR: GENESIS

Paramount has finally chosen it's Kyle Reese for Alan Taylor's Terminator: Genesis, and it's not the person we wanted or expected. They've decided on Jai Courtney, the Aussie actor best known for tripe like A Good Day To Die Hard and I, Frankenstein. I get the impression Jai's casting in the film came down to the studio being cheap, or finding a "face" at least known to the general audience. I'm sure his previous work on Skydance/Paramount's Jack Reacher didn't hurt his chances.

Boyd Holbrook had been kicking around the project for ages, and seemingly looked like the front-runner for a couple of roles. Holbrook has an impressive acting background which includes an untitled Terrence Malick film (co-starring with Natalie Portman, Cate Blachett, Christian Bale, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender and Ryan Gosling), Milk, Out of The Furnace, Behind The Candelabra, The Skeleton Twins, Jane Got A Gun, David Fincher's Gone Girl and Little Accidents. His credits are more than you'd expect for someone trying to land a lead in a Terminator reboot, I'm actually very shocked Paramount went with Courtney. Holbrook is poised to become a big name, and Paramount really missed out on a opportunity here.

The more I hear about the "what-if" aspects of this project, it really upsets me. Producer Megan Ellison's company Annapurna Pictures exited the project (she's taking an executive producer credit instead). Her production company's involvement was a major reason a lot of people were interested in the reboot in the first place. Also, alarm bells should be ringing as Megan is responsible for a great deal of awards caliber films such as Her, The Master, True Grit, American Hustle, Zero Dark Thirty, Foxcatcher and Lawless. If she left, there must have been a quality issue and Megan wanted to distance herself from it. Odd, since she spent $20 million to secure the rights in the first place.

David Ellison's Skydance Productions will instead be handling 2/3 of the production costs instead, with Paramount shelling out the rest. The people responsible for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Jack Reacher and Star Trek/Star Trek Into Darkness. Last time I checked, the Terminator movies weren't a bunch of generic/forgettable action action films. At least the first two weren't, as the studio and director Alan Taylor are giving lip-service to honoring those movies with this new trilogy.

To add more fuel to the fire. Paramount has been hiring actors with "recognizable faces", rather than impressive bodies of work. Emilia Clark (Game of Thrones) and Jason Clarke (Dawn of The Planet of The Apes) are fine and all, but the studio had the chance to hire Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, Inception, Dark Knight Rises, Locke,Warrior, The Drop, Child 44) and Brie Larson (Rampart, Don Jon, Short Term 12, The Spectacular Now) as the Connors. Having an actor like Hardy involved would have given the project a lot more attention and curiosity (something he did with Mad Max). Losing Boyd as well, is more than a little disappointing. Even as a fan, I'm not sure I see this going very well if the studio is turning away talent like this.

SOURCE: THR

Kyle Reese Role In TERMINATOR: GENESIS Down To Jai Courtney And Boyd Holbrook

We have our Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and John Connor (Jason Clarke), along with the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger. There is still another major role to fill in Terminator: Genesis, and that would be John's baby daddy Kyle Reese. Deadline reports that the two actors still in the mix for the role are Aussie Jai Courtney (Jack Reacher, A Good Day To Die Hard) and Boyd Holbrook.

Boyd has been sticking around like glue to the project, he was one of the first names linked and has stuck around throughout the entire casting process. If I had to bet money, I'd say that Holbrook ends up landing the role. It's expected that all the actors will have to commit to a three picture deal, as Genesis is the first in a new trilogy. Courtney could be called up for Die Hard 6 or even Divergent sequels (I have no clue about that franchise or his character).


SOURCE: DEADLINE

Jai Courtney Among Five Candidates Testing For Kyle Reese In TERMINATOR: GENESIS

Variety is reporting that Terminator: Genesis is still looking for it's new Kyle Reese. Australian actor Jai Courtney (Jack Reacher, A Good Day To Die Hard, Spartacus) is leading a group of five candidates that have tested for Reese. The list of lesser known actors includes Boyd Holbrook, Tom Cocquerel, Wilson Bethel and Sam Reid. Boyd had been previously linked for the role of John Connor. The main roles are expected to be apart of a new Termintor trilogy, starting with Genesis. Courtney's previous working relationship with Skydance Pictures on Jack Reacher could make him the front-runner of the group.

The group apparently went in for screen tests on Monday, which could mean an announcement on the outcome might be released very soon. These new names could mean Taylor Kistch (Lone Survivor, Battleship, John Carter, Savages) and Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max Fury Road, X-Men Days of Future Past) are now out of the running to play Reese.

Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Jason Clarke (Lawless, Public Enemies, Zero Dark Thirty) and Arnold Schawarznegger have been confirmed for roles in the fifth installment. Emilia is the new Sarah Connor and Jason is the older John Connor. Arnold's role has yet to be revealed, but is rumored to be playing a new human character. Games of Thrones showrunner and director Alan Taylor will be helming the film. Genesis will be a follow up to Alan's massively successful feature directorial debut Thor: The Dark World, which has earned $632 million globally.

ActingAuditions has confirmed that production begins in April, and will shoot on location in New Orleans, Louisiana. The area has become a hot-spot for big action productions, which will also see Jurassic World shoot there as well. Terminator: Genesis has a release date set for July 1st, 2015.



SOURCE: VARIETY 

Shailene Woodley And Theo James To Lead Stellar Cast In DIVERGENT

Deadline reports that a slew of actors have signed or are in talks for Neil Burger's (Limitless) Divergent which could be the next Hunger Games-type franchise. The names include Shailene Woodley (Amazing Spider-Man 2, Descendants, Spectacular Now) and Theo James (Downton Abbey, Underworld 4) as the leads with Kate Winslet (Titanic), Aaron Eckhart (Dark Knight, Thank You For Smoking), Jai Courtney (Die Hard 5, Jack Reacher), Maggie Q (MI3, Die Hard 4), Ray Stevenson (Rome, Thor 1-2, G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Miles Teller (Spectacular Now, Project X, Rabbit Hole, 21 And Over), Zoe Kravitz (X-Men Fist Class) and Ansel Elgort linked for supporting roles.

Bruce Willis Confirms DIE HARD 6 On The Way

While Stallone and Schwarzenegger are not fairing well at the box office, Bruce Willis' fifth Die Hard film could be a massive hit. It has more of an international appeal this round with it's Russian setting and is apart of an existing successful franchise. There had been rumors that this could John's son played by Jai Courtney could be taking over the franchise from an aging Willis. Bruce confirmed to BBC's One Show (via BleedingCool) that a six film is going to be made. Wether he'll be the lead is another story but if it's knockout he'll stick around for one more movie before giving the keys to Jai. Willis is making a slew of action films including Expendables 3 and Red 2 which could see his eventually retirement from the genre.

Final Trailer For DIE HARD 5

Poster For A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

Mary Elizabeth Winstead Returns As Lucy In New A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD Trailer

New Trailer For JACK REACHER

Cole Hauser To Play Villain In 'A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD'

Deadline reports that Cole Hauser has joined A Good Day To Die Hard the fifth installment in the Die Hard series. Hauser best known for roles in Pitch Black and Good Will Hunting will play a villain named Collins. This will be the third film that both Hauser and Willis have worked on together, the others include Heart's War and Tears of The Sun.

FIRST LOOK: Aaron Eckhart On The Set Of 'I, FRANKENSTEIN'