Margot Robbie, Will Smith and the All-Star ‘Suicide Squad’ Line-Up
DC Comics plots revenge against Marvel’s Avengers.
If the success of shows like Breaking Bad, Weeds, and Dexter indicates anything, it’s that America has embraced the antihero with her meaty arms. Enough of that clean-cut, true-north, ethically-unambiguous Superman dogoodery: We want a deranged suburban dad driving a Pontiac Aztek around New Mexico. To tap into that desire, as well as Hollywood’s current comic frenzy, DC is creating a left-handed blockbuster, Suicide Squad, the story of captured villains forced to fight for justice or pay the price for prior dastardly deeds.
Though the movie was announced last September, the studio has been mum about casting the nefarious bunch. Yesterday, though, DC Entertainment confirmed almost all of the rumors: Will Smith, Tom Hardy, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevingne are all onboard. Here’s why:
Deadshot is an (emotionally) wounded assassin who accidentally killed his brother when aiming at his abusive father.
Why Smith?
Smith is one of our most expressive (Seven Pounds, The Pursuit of Happiness) and dynamic (Men in Black, Bad Boys) movie stars. Given the New York Times’ recent interview with Willow and Jaden, it seems like Smith may know a thing or two about bizarre family dynamics.
Rick Flag is the ambivalent leader of the pack, with a moral compass a bit truer than the rest of his team. While he skews good, his physical mass means he’s never less than menacing.
Why Hardy?
By the time Suicide Squad debuts, we’ll be living in a post-Mad Max world. It looks entirely possible that Hardy will be the biggest star on the planet.
Any character that calls The Joker her boyfriend has to be carrying around her own pathology. A former asylum psychiatrist who fell in love with her deranged patient, Quinn is one of the creepiest and most alluring villains around.
Why Robbie?
There are maybe three women on the planet who can pull off the costume. Margot Robbie is one of them and Michelle Pfeiffer is 56.
Most recently played by the late Heath Ledger, The Joker is a twisted villain, who never reveals what got him twisted in the first place.
Why Leto?
His transgender turn in Dallas Buyers’ Club showed people Leto knew how to slink, and his shoulder-length ombré hair is one of Hollywood’s best jokes.
As a crooked ex-basketball player, Boomerang isn’t the darkest of the lot. He’s basically a poorly behaved Darko Milicic with a less intimidating name.
Why Courtney?
Courtney has that pre-30-Rock-Matt-Damon-seriousness that only a veteran of several action roles (Die Hard, Spartacus, Divergent) can bring. That’s what it will take to lend a little gravitas to a guy whose superpower is bad knees.
Cara Delevingne as Enchantress
Enchantress is your classic storybook sorceress, but with bigger breasts and a bad attitude.
Why Delevingne?
She’s so ubiquitous you have to figure that she has certain magic abilities.
Photos by David M. Benett / Getty Images for Harper’s Bazaar