It was expected all along that Warner Bros.’ upcoming supervillain team-up movie Suicide Squad would feature an impressive ensemble cast, and the official confirmation of the roster doesn’t disappoint.
Variety reports that Will Smith, Jared Leto, Tom Hardy, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, and Cara Delevingne will play the team of DC Comics villains forced to undertake dangerous missions by the government in the 2016 film directed by Fury filmmaker David Ayer. While many of the actors had been long-rumored contenders for various roles in the film, the final cast was expected to include some — but not all — of the previously mentioned names.
In a casting announcement made Tuesday afternoon, the list of actors and their roles was confirmed as follows:
Two-time Oscar-nominee Will Smith will play the assassin Deadshot, bringing some serious star power to the project to complement his character’s notorious firepower. Smith was rumored as a potential cast member back in October along with Hardy, Robbie, and various other notable actors.
Joining Smith in the film will be Oscar-winning Dallas Buyers Club actor Jared Leto as The Joker, with The Wolf Of Wall Street‘s Margot Robbie playing his psychotic paramour, Harley Quinn.
Rounding out the cast is The Dark Knight Rises actor Tom Hardy as Rick Flag, Terminator: Genisys actor Jai Courtney as Boomerang, and model-turned-actress Cara Delevingne as Enchantress. Jesse Eisenberg is expected to reprise his role as Lex Luthor from next year’s Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice.
Still left to be cast is the role of Amanda Waller, the team’s government handler (and the DC Comics equivalent to Marvel’s Nick Fury). The studio is reportedly pursuing Oprah Winfrey (its first choice), Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer for the role.
“The Warner Bros. roots are deep on this one,” Warner Bros. president Greg Silverman said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “We look forward to seeing this terrific ensemble, under David Ayer’s amazing guidance, give new meaning to what it means to be a villain and what it means to be a hero.”
Suicide Squad is expected to begin filming in April in Toronto. The film is scheduled to hit theaters August 5, 2016.
