With the Rick Flag role in David Ayer's Suicide Squad appearing to be more of a supporting turn than a lead, it no longer made sense for it to be filled by Tom Hardy. Throw in that the actor is still busy filming Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's The Revenant and a replacement needed to be found. Turns out the guy coming aboard could be Joel Kinnaman, star of last year's Robocop reboot.
A report over at THR says Kinnaman is in talks for the Rick Flag role, joining Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as the Joker, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevigne as the Enchantress, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. There are also rumors of Joe Manganiello taking the role of Deathstroke the Terminator, and Gary Sinise as General Wade Elling. Flag was, at least in the comics, field leader of the Suicide Squad, a team of villains used as expendable assets by the government in missions they aren't expected to return from. Flag's role appears to have changed for the movie, though, and hiring someone like Kinnaman would only confirm that.
Suicide Squad will begin filming soon in time for release on August 5th 2016.
