Thursday, November 13, 2014

Jai Courtney Eyed for Batman Villain Deadshot in ‘Suicide Squad’

“Terminator: Genesys” star Jai Courtney is in talks for a major role in Warner Bros.’ “Suicide Squad” that could prove to be Batman villain Deadshot, sources tell Variety.

Tom Hardy, Will Smith, Margot Robbie and Jared Leto are also in various stages of discussions to join the super-villainous movie, which is being written and directed by “Fury” filmmaker David Ayer.

“Suicide Squad,” produced by Charles Roven, will be released in summer 2016.

Warner Bros. had no comment on this story.

Based on the DC comic book, the story centers on the team of super villains who are given a chance at redemption by the government. The catch: Their mission will probably kill them all.

Warner Bros. is courting Leto to play the Joker in the film, Robbie for Harley Quinn and Hardy for Rick Flag, a founding member of the Suicide Squad. As for Smith, it’s uncertain which character he will play, but sources say it’s likely the Flash nemesis Digger Harkness a.k.a. Captain Boomerang.

Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, who co-stars in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” may also join the film.

Though the character of Deadshot isn’t as well known as Lex Luthor or the Joker, he’s a key villain in the “Batman” comic book universe. Also known as Floyd Lawton, Deadshot has a major death wish and a strong bond with Catwoman, although there’s been no confirmation yet that Catwoman will make an appearance in the pic.

WB could obviously give Deadshot and other “Suicide Squad” members their own standalone films should the super-villain movie prove a success.

As for Courtney, “Suicide Squad” would mark yet another major Hollywood franchise the Australian has landed in a short amount of time. He broke out as John McClane’s son in “A Good Day to Die Hard” and followed that up as a villain in “Divergent,” with plans to reprise the role in “Insurgent,” which bows next year.

He also plays Kyle Reese in the next “Terminator” pic, “Terminator: Genisys,” which opens next summer and co-stars Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor and Jason Clarke as her son, John.

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