Suicide Squad may already have found its Deadshot… as Jai Courtney reportedly enters talks for David Ayer’s DC supervillain movie.
According to Variety, the 28-year-old Terminator: Genisys star is being courted by Warner Bros. for a major role in the upcoming Suicide Squad film… and it could well turn out to be squad leader, Deadshot.
“Jai Courtney is in talks for a major role in Warner Bros. Suicide Squad that could prove to be Batman villain Deadshot,” they reveal. And it seems he’s likely to be in good company.
“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.”
Obviously, Deadshot is a well-known villain to the comic books fans… having antagonised the Dark Knight himself over the course of his criminal career. But most importantly, I can’t help thinking that he’s one of the most interesting members of the titular Suicide Squad.
Floyd Lawton – aka Deadshot – is a man who simply went off the rails. After being brought up in an abusive household, he attempts to save his family from the iron grip of his father by killing him with his own rifle. But while waiting in a tree to take the shot, the branch he’s perched upon snaps beneath him, causing him to miss completely… killing his own brother by accident.
It’s thought that this tragic event led to Deadshot’s current frame of mind – creating a razor-sharp killer who now never misses… but also has a bit of a death wish. Showing complete and utter disregard for his own life, he’s often disappointed to survive the mission. And his lack of self-preservation often makes him a completely unpredictable opponent.
Of course, his appearance in Suicide Squad could be the first of many… and with the first film due to appear in 2016, there’s always the possibility of a number of sequels and spin-offs as well as appearances throughout the growing DC universe.
But is Jai Courtney even up for the role? According to Deadline, that might not be the case…
“Courtney might instead be cast in another of the DC comic book properties that WB has slotted through 2020,” they explain. But it seems they have no further details… and any guess is as good as ours.
However, I can’t help thinking that Courtney would make an excellent addition to the Suicide Squad. And with his role in Terminator: Genisys it looks as though he’s beginning to make a name for himself in the sci-fi action sphere.
Whether or not he can break into comic book movies is another matter entirely. And for now, we’ll have to wait and see.
What do you think of Jai Courtney as Deadshot? Who else will join the ranks of the Suicide Squad? Let us know what you think in the comments below…