Who Suicide Squad 2's New Characters Will Reportedly Be

Who Suicide Squad 2's New Characters Will Reportedly Be

The new Suicide Squad movie is so buried in secrecy and confusion that nobody seems to be quite sure what the new movie actually is. Is it a sequel? Is it a reboot? Is it called Suicide Squad 2 or is it The Suicide Squad? The only thing we know for sure is that James Gunn has written the new film, and while the movie clearly is written in the same continuity as the first Suicide Squad film, as it will include at least a couple of the same characters, it now appears that the rest of the team will be entirely different.

Margot Robbie and Jai Courtney will be returning to the new film in their respective rolls of Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang, but it now looks like they will be the only familiar members of the brand new team. Previously, it had been announced that Idris Elba would be taking over the role of Deadshot from Will Smith, but it now appears the plan is for him to take on an entirely new character.

It's been reported that David Dastmalchian was recently cast, apparently to play Polka-Dot Man. Beyond that, THR says that the rest of the new team will be made up of the characters of Ratcatcher, Peacemaker, and King Shark.

Ratcatcher is a character who has the ability to train and control rats. Traditionally, the character is a former actual rat catcher of Gotham City named Otis Flannegan, but based on the pronouns being used, it seems the plan is gender swap the character and make Ratcatcher female.

The Peacemaker is a man named Christopher Smith who is so committed to the cause of peace that he's willing to use (non-lethal) violence to achieve it. The rumor that Peacemaker would be part of Suicide Squad 2 has been around for a while. The word is the role was originally written for Dave Bautista, but due to conflicts, it seems fellow WWE alum John Cena might be circling it now.

King Shark is literally a humanoid shark. One assumes he'll be taking on the role of the Suicide Squad's muscle, since it doesn't appear Killer Croc is returning. Perhaps this will be Idris Elba's role in the film. If not, there is at least one more character we don't know about.

And then there's Polka Dot Man, who is a minor villain from the Batman rogues gallery, who tended to commit crimes with polka dot themes. He also wears a polka dot costume where each dot can be removed and used a different sort of weapon.

This is certainly an eclectic cast of characters, but that's part of what makes the Suicide Squad so interesting. And if there's anything we've learned about James Gunn's history with comic book characters, he has the ability to take an odd group of strange characters and bring them together in a way that isn't just fun and exciting but also oddly heartwarming. If anybody can make this team work its James Gunn.

The Suicide Squad is currently in pre-production and is set for release in August of 2021.

What Nick Fury And Other Marvel Characters Look Like De-Aged

What Nick Fury And Other Marvel Characters Look Like De-Aged

Technology is continually changing in the world of filmmaking, leading to more in-depth and startling visual effects. Over at Marvel, the movie studio has starting de-aging characters for flashbacks—or in Captain Marvel’s case more like the whole movie—instead of using different actors to play characters in past decades. (Point of clarification: Other actors do play younger versions of Brie Larson's Carol Danvers.)

Obviously, it’s a lot of work to satisfactorily de-age an actor for an entire movie, and we’ll see how it pans out when Captain Marvel hits theaters this weekend. However, from the early looks at Nick Fury and Agent Coulson, a lot of work was put into the task.

This isn’t the first time that Marvel has attempted de-aging work, however. Plenty of other MCU actors have been treated to the process, including characters in the Ant-Man narrative and Iron Man before he became a superhero. You can take a look at the de-aged characters and their counterparts today below.

Nick Fury - Samuel L. Jackson

The photo on the right is actually from last year’s Avengers: Infinity War, in which Nick Fury has a small cameo. Obviously, the eyepatch and the bald head show Samuel L. Jackson as the Nick Fury that we know and love. Honestly, it’s almost off-putting to see him with two eyes in Captain Marvel, although since Jackson actually has two eyes in real life, that wasn't something that actually needed to have altered digitally in addition to the rest of his new look. Luckily, the technology was there for Captain Marvel, as producer Jonathan Schwartz says the studio never considered recasting.

Samuel L. Jackson is 70 years old and has shown no signs of slowing down yet. Captain Marvel throws Nick Fury right into the action too. While the movie could digitally de-age the actor, I’m sure playing a spry S.H.I.E.L.D. agent wasn’t a total cakewalk.

Agent Phil Coulson - Clark Gregg

Along with Nick Fury, Agent Coulson also got de-aged for Captain Marvel, although he can be seen in fewer scenes as a whole. Still, ridding the actor of wrinkles and adding to his hairline does make the character look younger, especially since some of his scenes are in broad daylight. Still, I'd say Clark Gregg has aged pretty well, or de-aged pretty poorly, however you want to look at it.

In real life, Clark Gregg is 56 years old, but in Captain Marvel, we get a glimpse at the character when he was still very early in his S.H.I.E.L.D. career. Prior to Captain Marvel, Clark Gregg last appeared on the big screen in The Avengers, but he's endeared himself on the small screen thanks to being resurrected on ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Tony Stark - Robert Downey Jr.

Tony Stark had already been Iron Man for quite some time before Captain America: Civil War was released. That movie, however, was tasked with de-aging Tony Stark to a time well before he ever took on the popular superhero mantle. In fact, we saw him as a young man while BARF technology is being used, talking to his parents in the time before they were killed by the Winter Soldier.

In real life, Robert Downey Jr. is actually 53, and so the de-aging has to take off a lot of years in Captain America: Civil War, but the de-aging technology is not so far off from how Downey Jr. looked earlier in his career in movies like Soapdish or Less Than Zero. Still, compared to the way Nick Fury was de-aged, a lot has changed with technology in a few short years.

Ego - Kurt Russell

Kurt Russell plays Ego The Living Planet in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. While it was fun to watch his interactions with an adult Star-Lord, it was also ridiculously fun to see him hanging out at a Dairy Queen years prior. As Ego, Kurt Russell sported a fine head of hair, no matter which age he was playing -- although I personally am more impressed with the Ego with the beard.

In real life, Russell is 67 years old. He’s also sported longer hair plenty of times during his career before the de-aging sequence in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Those include but are not limited to Escape From New York and Overboard. Technically, Ego would not have had to present himself as older to his son and his son's friends, but that could have meant a lot of additional de-aging work (read: production cost) for Vol. 2 as well.

Janet Van Dyne - Michelle Pfeiffer

Playing Janet Van Dyne should have been a pretty cool gig for Michelle Pfeiffer. Not only did she get to play a mysterious character who had been lost in the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp, she also got to be de-aged for the movie too. The early version of Janet Van Dyne was certainly younger looking and sported hair fitting to the period although, like some of the other actors on this list, Michelle Pfeiffer was famous when she was that young in real life too!

These days, Michelle Pfeiffer is 60 years old. She actually only got back into the acting game a couple of years ago after a brief hiatus, appearing in the Ant-Man sequel and Murder on the Orient Express. Not a bad comeback tour.

Dr. Hank Pym - Michael Douglas

We’ve seen Hank Pym in multiple movies, but in Ant-Man and the Wasp we got to see the character de-aged for some scenes with his lost partner Janet Van Dyne. At first glance, honestly I never think Michael Douglas looks all that de-aged. Then, I see the Hank Pym we know and love and that's when it really hits home for me that a lot of time has passed since Michael Douglas was the young actor on the block, although he still looks great with the glasses and beard.

In real life, Michael Douglas is 74 years old, making him the oldest actor to be de-aged on this list. For Ant-Man and the Wasp, he was de-aged to look around 45 or so. Not a bad job, Marvel, not at all.

Technically, Marvel has done some digital aging as well as de-aging, as Agent Carter gets the treatment so she can be killed off in Captain America: The Winter Soldier; still, it’s de-aging that seems as if it would be more difficult and has captured my fascination more than ever, particularly now that Nick Fury has been given the treatment for a huge chunk of Captain Marvel.

You can check out the visual effects for yourself very soon. Captain Marvel hits theaters on March 8. In addition, you can see a de-aged Nick Fury right now thanks to the trailer for the flick.

Chris Hemsworth Recalls Joss Whedon's Fury When The Avengers Kept Screwing Up A Take

Chris Hemsworth Recalls Joss Whedon's Fury When The Avengers Kept Screwing Up A Take

Chris Hemsworth has been a part of the MCU as Thor since 2011, and while he's surely had a lot of fun in his solo romps, the actor claimed his favorite on-set moment happened with the rest of his friends in The Avengers original six. Hemsworth recalled a time he was attempting to film a scene with the rest of his co-stars, but all they were succeeding in was awakening director Joss Whedon's fury.

I think it was on Avengers 1 or 2 where it was the original six trying to get -- where we had one line each in the scene, pretty simple thing, and we just couldn't get it together. We just kept cracking up and laughing. And then Joss Whedon, who was directing, was just exhausted and was just getting angrier and angrier. But the angrier he got, the funnier it got. It was like being back in high school. It was one of those moments where you're like, nothing's changed. No matter what age you're at or what point of life, there's that inherent quality to when you're not supposed to laugh, you laugh even more.

Chris Hemsworth couldn't remember the exact movie or scene -- whether from The Avengers or Avengers: Age of Ultron -- but apparently Joss Whedon's anger and the humor from it has stuck with him for quite a long time. It must've been quite a moment if it overshadowed some of the hilarity that had to have taken place on Taika Waititi's set on Thor: Ragnarok, although it's completely understandable. Who can deny that one of the times it's hardest not to laugh is when you're in a situation where you explicitly shouldn't?

Even if he pissed off Joss Whedon with his castmates a time or two in the past, Chris Hemsworth says he has no regrets about his ride thus far. The actor told MTV he wouldn't change a thing about his time in the MCU even if he could, and mentioned he feared if he did it would alter the course that it's presently on.

Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but Chris Hemsworth talking about time travel and implications of changing the future of the MCU could point to him spending too much time on the Avengers: Endgame set. After all, time travel has been speculated and teased to play a decent role in the plot, and it was a weird way to answer a question when time travel doesn't ultimately exist.

Conspiracy theories aside, it sounds like Chris Hemsworth has a lot of laughs and love for his time spent in the MCU. Whether that will be enough to keep him in the world following Avengers: Endgame is another question, as we're still not sure what Thor's fate will be in the movie. Hemsworth is also not officially on board for any future Thor films, although has hinted he'd be up for returning.

We'll see if Thor has an opportunity to have more adventures following Avengers: Endgame, which is in theaters Friday, April 26. Keep with CinemaBlend in the meantime for more updates in the MCU and an idea of what's to come after.

5 Ways Avengers: Endgame Can Wrap Up Captain America’s Story

5 Ways Avengers: Endgame Can Wrap Up Captain America’s Story

Fans are absolutely ravenous for new information about Avengers: Endgame, and with the film set to release in just a few weeks, there isn't much longer to wait. There's a lot to speculate about in the blockbuster, but the fate of Captain America (Chris Evans) is one of the most popular. Endgame will make us say goodbye to some fan-favorite characters, and fans have long guessed that Cap would be one of them. It'll be hard enough to say goodbye, and there are a number of ways Cap can make his exit.

In the absence of concrete information, fans theories have been growing like weeds for the past several months, many of them about the ultimate fate of Steve Rogers. People are clearly concerned about what's going to happen to Cap, and we've come up with a few options about how Marvel and the Russo Bros. could wrap up his story and give him a real conclusion fitting of his epic status in the cinematic universe. Here are five ways Captain America's story could end.

Cap's Going To Die

I'll get the most obvious and popular answer out the way. Fans have been expecting for a long time -- maybe even as far back as the first Captain America movie -- that Steve will die. That's mostly because he dies (temporarily) in the comics, but Cap dying would certainly be a big way to close out his story. It would fit well into his character arc. It's been established that Cap doesn't feel that he can settle down and resist the call to action if he thinks that there's something wrong in the world. It's just the kind of guy he is, and he values the lives of others more than his own. He once tried to sacrifice himself to save the world, and it's likely he's prepared to do so again. How he does it, though, is a different story.

Cap Sacrifices Himself To Stop Thanos

There's a theme in Avengers: Infinity War wondering if sacrificing a life is worth it to save multiple. I think that ultimately, the answer is 'no' unless there's no other option. With half the universe dead and gone, the Avengers are all out of options. One popular theory is that Cap will sacrifice himself and be killed by Thanos. The reason tends to vary, but maybe the most popular is that Cap is stalling Thanos in order to let his friends escape to fight another day. Mostly, people just want to see an iconic moment from the Infinity Gauntlet comic, in which Cap stands solo against Thanos, come to life. It's certainly a noble end and one that perfectly suits his character. I'm of the mind that Cap won't die until near the end, but basically anything can happen in the movie at this point.

He Lives And Hangs Up His Shield For Good

Rather than give Cap a hero's death, Endgame could go in the opposite direction and see Cap live through the whole adventure. Whatever happens over the course of the three hour runtime, it convinces Steve to retire and pass off his shield to a new generation. Maybe he notices the abundance of powerful heroes ready to protect the world, and that he finally isn't needed to set things right. Steve can take a well deserved rest and walk off into the sunset, which would leave things open for him to return one day if Chris Evans is feeling nostalgic. The problem with this ending is that it's hard to believe that Steve could just stop being Captain America, but it all depends on his personal journey in Endgame.

He Gets Trapped In The Past And Marries Peggy Carter

The single most popular rumor about Endgame is that time travel will play a big part in how the Avengers defeat Thanos. No details are known about it other than what people online have pieced together through set photos. However, if time travel is involved, there's a chance that Steve could get to return to the '40s and live the life that he missed out on. That means reuniting with Peggy Carter and finally getting to have that last dance (I'm not crying, you are). This is a particularly popular theory because fans want to see Cap happy, and people love that romance. Plus, there has been a surprising amount of emphasis on Peggy in Endgame trailers that adds credence that she might have some kind of role. However, Cap getting a second chance with Peggy would probably break the space time continuum -- not to mention the continuity of the MCU.

Cap Traps Himself In the Quantum Realm With Thanos

This one is my own personal theory about what will happen, and though there's like a 2% chance that it does, I think it's cool enough to include. Similar in concept to Thanos killing him, my theory is that the Avengers will trap Thanos in the Quantum Realm, and Cap and one other Avenger will stay behind to make sure he stays there. This is based on The Thanos Imperative, a comic that found Thanos teaming up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop an invasion from a dimension called the Cancerverse. Ultimately, it ends with a Thanos double-cross, and Star-Lord and a hero called Nova sacrifice themselves to trap Thanos in the Cancerverse. I think it'd be awesome to see the MCU adapt that ending, subbing in the Quantum Realm, which is rumored to play a role in Endgame. Not only would this be an epic sacrifice for Cap, but it would also keep him and Thanos on the board in case Marvel ever wanted to bring them back.

Endgame is such a mystery right now that it feels like almost anything can happen in this movie. That means that Cap's fate is up in the air, and unless some kind of massive leak happens in the next few weeks, we will just have to wait to find out what happens. Chris Evans has never really confirmed or denied that this is his last round as Captain America, but it's sure been feeling like this is goodbye. Whether Cap lives, dies or gets trapped fighting Thanos in another dimension for eternity (If I get that right, I will never shut up about it), it's likely that this is the last that we'll see of him for awhile, so let's hope that he goes out with a bang!

Transformers 6 Producer Confirms Michael Bay Is Done Directing Franchise: 'I Don't Blame Him'

Transformers 6 Producer Confirms Michael Bay Is Done Directing Franchise: 'I Don't Blame Him'

Michael Bay directed the first five movies in the Transformers franchise, but don't even pencil him in for Transformers 6. Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura just made it clear that Bay has moved on, and the next film won't even pick up from the events of Bay's 2017 movie Transformers: The Last Knight.

When Lorenzo Di Bonaventura was asked if the studio was looking for new directors for Transformers 6 or hoping they could still make Michael Bay an offer to return. Here's the producer's response:

I think Bay has made it really clear that he loved what he did and he’s not doing anymore. So I think the answer is we’re writing a script. At that point, once we get script we have a strong belief in, then we’ll begin to debate that. Michael’s made it really clear that he didn’t want to do it. I don’t blame him. He spent a hell of a lot, a decade of his life, shooting them.

It was a decade of Michael Bay's life from his first Transformers movie coming out in July 2007 to The Last Knight premiering in 2017 -- and that's not counting all of the development and pre-production time. So it was actually a lot more than 10 years of Bay's time, and it would make sense if he's ready to move on, per what he told /FILM.

Just to drive the point home, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura was asked if the next Transformers script they are developing picks up where The Last Knight left off. Here's his one-word reply:

No.

No. The Transformers franchise is changing in the wake of the disappointment of Transformers: The Last Knight and the positive response to the Bumblebee spinoff. Lorenzo Di Bonaventura recently said they're aiming for the next Transformers movie to be like a tonal fusion of Bumblebee and the Michael Bay movies. He said they want to have "a little more Bayhem" but also mix it with the strong character dynamics of Bumblebee.

But apparently they want the Bayhem action without Michael Bay -- or, rather, Michael Bay doesn't want to come back to provide the Bayhem. (I wouldn't be shocked if he did return several years from now for a big Transformers comeback. That's my prediction, locking it in for 2027.)

During New York Toy Fair 2019 a couple of months ago, the Bumblebee movie was officially declared "a new storytelling universe" for the Transformers franchise.

Lorenzo Di Bonaventura isn't a fan of the word "reboot" but he did previously say they would do another big Transformers movie and it would be "different than the ones that we've done before."

Transformers: The Last Knight made $605.4 million worldwide -- with $475M of that coming from the foreign box office -- off a reported production budget of $217 million, per Box Office Mojo. Bumblebee made $465.8 million worldwide from a $135 million production budget. Both films made roughly the same amount at the domestic box office, interestingly enough.

Bumblebee, which is reportedly getting a sequel, was embraced by critics and fans, with a 93% fresh rating and a 76% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with an A- CinemaScore. The Last Knight got a B+ CinemaScore but only a 15% RT rating from critics and also a "rotten" an audience score of 44%.

So it sounds like the Transformers franchise wants to mix the success of Michael Bay's big budget blockbusters with the acclaimed quality and character relationships of Bumblebee. Makes sense. Can they pull it off? We'll see.

Meanwhile, if you're curious what Michael Bay is up to, he directed and produced the upcoming action film Six Underground, starring Ryan Reynolds and written by Deadpool scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Stay tuned for more on that film, too. Keep up with everything we know is headed to the big screen this year with our handy 2019 movie guide.

Brie Larson Doesn't Get Why People Are Surprised By Captain Marvel's $1 Billion Success

Brie Larson Doesn't Get Why People Are Surprised By Captain Marvel's $1 Billion Success

As Marvel’s first female-led superhero movie, some might have believed that Captain Marvel had a great deal of pressure on it to perform. Well, perform it did because Captain Marvel recently passed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, becoming just the 7th MCU movie (38th movie overall) to achieve that incredible feat. Entering the three-comma club is quite the achievement, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise according to the film’s star Brie Larson, who said:

I’m very grateful to have broken this glass ceiling of normalizing the concept that women can also make a billion dollars. I don’t know why that was so hard to comprehend in the first place. It’s just like we’re human, whatever. If people needed this to be another reminder this decade [that minority groups can open movies and make a billion dollars] then great, I’m here, I did it.

Brie Larson is thankful to have had her film become such a massive global success, but she doesn’t see what she did as anything groundbreaking or anything that should be viewed as a surprise. In her mind there was never any reason to think that a film led by a woman couldn’t be successful and hit the billion-dollar mark. To her, Captain Marvel is just the latest proof of that.

What Brie Larson is touching on here in her discussion with Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones and the Women in the World summit, is the narrative that female-led blockbusters can’t be successful. This is an antiquated notion that has perpetuated over the years, and although it has long since been disproven, every female-led movie seemingly has the pressure to prove it again and succeed not just for itself, but for all those female-led movies that hope to come after.

The Carol Danvers actress rejects this notion, and sees Captain Marvel as just the most recent movie to show that movies don’t have to fit in the traditional mold to succeed. Any good human story can find success with audiences. She seems to hope that while Captain Marvel isn’t the first female-led movie to find success, it will hopefully normalize the concept and put the matter to bed.

Brie Larson is certainly right that Captain Marvel’s success should not have come as a surprise because it was female-led. In recent years we have seen female-led films like Lucy, The Hunger Games, Frozen and Wonder Woman all become massive hits. Some may not have reached quite the level that Captain Marvel did, but Brie Larson’s heroine is far from the first to bring in the big bucks.

If anything the only surprise with Captain Marvel was the degree to which it succeeded. As an MCU film is was bound to make money, but for the new-to-the-universe character to be in the $1+ billion company of the team-up films, surpassing every other solo film sans Black Panther and Iron Man 3, is quite the feat.

You can next see Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel in another film that will undoubtedly be in the three-comma club, Avengers: Endgame, which arrives in two short weeks on April 26. To keep track of all this year’s biggest movies, check out our 2019 Release Schedule.

Spider-Man: Far From Home's Stars Are Confused About That Endgame 'Plot Hole'

Spider-Man: Far From Home's Stars Are Confused About That Endgame 'Plot Hole'

SPOILERS from Avengers: Endgame ahead.

There should be a class at Peter Parker's high school covering Spider-Man: Far From Home's connections to Avengers: Endgame. There are things I get, but also a few questions and plot conveniences I suspect we're supposed to just accept since (deep breath) none of this is real.

Now that Avengers: Endgame is in theaters explaining how Peter Parker even could get a sequel to Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home is ready for its debut. That leaves the Spider-Man cast to answer any lingering spoilery questions, and they are not up to the task.

Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, and Jacob Batalon were all on Jimmy Kimmel Live when Kimmel asked about the five-year time jump in Avengers: Endgame. If five years have passed for everyone, why are Peter, Ned, MJ, and others still in high school? The cast members looked at each other and laughed.

Tom Holland: Why … why are we still in high school? [laughs]

Jacob Batalon: I mean, it might be one of the biggest plot holes of all time.

Cobie Smulders: I don’t want to pull that thread. I don’t know.

It doesn't seem like the kind of thing they'd avoid talking about for fear of spoilers, since the question itself comes from knowledge of Avengers: Endgame. They may just not understand. Did the time jump idea just not come up during Far From Home filming?!

Avengers: Endgame co-writer Stephen McFeely did address this "plot hole" with CinemaBlend. He said any of the teens who look the same age would've been part of the 50% that turned to dust during The Decimation of Avengers: Infinity War. When they returned in Endgame, five years hadn't passed for them. To McFeely, it makes perfect sense:

That one seems easy to me. Isn't it clear that anybody who looks the same blipped, and they're back just like [Peter] is? I don't know what happens in [Spider-Man: Far From Home] at all, but I can only assume that most of the main characters got blipped, and maybe some ancillary characters are now older, and then you'll get some comedy from that? I don't know.

As he emphasized, he doesn't know what happens in Spider-Man: Far From Home. That wasn't part of his job to explain. The first Far From Home trailer showed several characters from Spider-Man: Homecoming. Not only do we have Peter and Ned and MJ, there's also Tony Revolori back as Peter's bully Flash Thompson, and Angourie Rice as Betty Brant.

So they were all part of the 50% snapped, and now they're back and returning to high school? Are their classmates all people who used to be five years younger than them? Are their former classmates now in college? Will that angle be explored at all, or not part of the overall story?

Spider-Man: Far From Home is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, but still shows Peter Parker in mourning for Tony Stark. The story also shows Peter going to Europe on a school trip with his classmates. Nick Fury tasks him with a mission, and he meets up with Quentin Beck/Mysterio. So far, it sounds like a lot of the mystery will be about Mysterio and the Elementals, and not so much dusted high school kids coming to grips with the fact that half of their classmates lived without them for five years. (Save those storylines for The Leftovers and Manifest, I suppose.)

Spider-Man: Far From Home opens in theaters on July 2, as one of the many movies worth keeping an eye on with our handy 2019 movie schedule.