by: Sammy Mink
Of course after the slew of information flowing out from Warner Bros. today, there were bound to be a few rumors hot on the heels of all the confirmed attachments, so let’s dig in. Apparently WB and DC are looking to add some major talent to their action/sci-fi flick SUICIDE SQUAD and the names on the shortlist include Ryan Gosling, Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Tom Hardy. The project, based on the comics by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, centers on a team of supervillains who are given one last shot at redemption by taking on missions that will most likely get them killed. It’s also rumored that the lead characters of the film will include Deadshot, Harkness, and Vixen.
So what do these actors have going on right now? Well, Gosling is allegedly meeting with Marvel execs to consider starring in Doctor Strange and/or The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero. He recently write, directed and produced the fantasy thriller Lost River, which stars an accent-free Matt Smith and is starring in an untiteld Terrence Malick drama along with superhero alums Christian Bale and Michael Fassbender. So he’s a busy guy.
Smith, likewise, has a lot on his plate, having just wrapped his latest crime/drama Focus, where he stars opposite Robbie. Next up, he’s producing the most recent adaptation of Annie and will be starring in an untitled concussion film from Ridley Scott and Peter Landesman, the next installment of Hancock, and may be reprising his Bad Boys role as Detective Mike Lowrey.
After making her mark in The Wolf of Wall Street and About Time, Robbie joins Smith in Focus, which will be released early next year. She has also been cast in the war drama Suite Francaise, the sci-fi flick Z for Zachariah, and David Yates’ action/adventure Tarzan with Christoph Waltz and Alexander Skarsgard.
Hardy, no stranger to superhero projects after his stint as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, recently starred in two small but critically acclaimed dramas Locke and The Drop. He’ll next be starring in the Netflix period drama Peaky Blinders, as well as Mad Max: Fury Road, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant, and thriller Child 44 with Charles Dance, Gary Oldman, and Noomi Rapace.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Gosling and Hardy are just way too busy to take this one on. Plus, after Hardy played the bad guy in Dark Knight Rises, he seems to be looking for something a bit different. It would be great to see Smith and Robbie together for a second film Jennifer Lawrence/Bradley Cooper-style. Time will tell but expect to hear a few more rumors about this project in the coming months.
Gosling is repped by Anonymous Content and LBI Entertainment. Smith is repped by CAA and Overbrook Entertainment. Robbie is repped by CAA, Aran Michael Management, and Management 360. Hardy is repped by CAA and United Agents.
