James Gunn wanted to cast Taika Waititi for a specific role in The Suicide Squad, but had to give the actor-director a different part. This week brings about the eagerly-anticipated release of The Suicide Squad, the DCEU’s latest attempt at putting the anti-hero team on the big screen. Following the disappointing responses to 2016’s studio-influenced Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. brought in Gunn to revitalize the property. What resulted is a blood-soaked adventure that has drawn in some of the best reviews of the entire DCEU. The Suicide Squad arrives in theaters and on HBO Max later this week.

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To pull off the daring missions at the heart of The Suicide Squad, Gunn assembled a mostly-new cast to play a whole host of wild characters. From Idris Elba (Bloodsport) to SNL‘s Pete Davidson (Blackguard), the movie’s impressive ensemble was unveiled last year at DC FanDome. However, there’s one major name whose character has yet to be revealed: Oscar-winner Waititi, who, like Gunn and Elba, makes the jump from Marvel to DC with this project. Though many have suspected Waititi is voicing villain Starro, Gunn has debunked that theory.

While talking to IndieWire, Gunn revealed the full story of how Waititi came to be involved with The Suicide Squad. The director was initially interesting in casting Waititi for a bigger role as one of the members of the squad from the beginning of the movie and even offered the part to him first. “He was working on ‘Akira’ at the time, and he said, ‘I had to give you my answer in like two weeks,’ he totally wanted to do it,” Gunn recalled. “It was one of the other superheroes. And he said that he wanted to do it and then ‘Akira’ got greenlit and it was happening.” Of course, Akira was later put on an indefinite hold, thus opening up Waititi’s schedule. “Then, all of a sudden, it fell apart and [Taika] wrote me and he said, ‘Oh, [the] fucking movie fell apart. Is that role is still available?’” Gunn said. “And I said, “No, but let me get you in something else.’“

Waititi’s role in The Suicide Squad is still being kept under wraps, but it’s said it’s a small part that will amuse audiences greatly. Waititi has become a fan favorite through his work directing Thor: Ragnarok and playing Korg for the MCU. Having him pop up in The Suicide Squad, even if it’s for a short time, will likely be met with much delight from viewers. With the movie only a few days away from release, there’s just a little bit of time left to speculate about who he might be playing.

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Could Waititi be a guard at Belle Reve penitentiary? Or perhaps one of those working under Amanda Waller (Viola Davis)? The possibilities seem endless at this point, though it’s at least clear that he’s not playing any of the major members of Task Force X. The Suicide Squad is filled to the brim with exciting stars, and Waititi is only one of them. Fans should keep an eye out for him when watching the movie later this week.

Source: IndieWire

Key Release Dates
  • The Suicide Squad (2021)Release date: Aug 06, 2021
  • The Batman (2022)Release date: Mar 04, 2022
  • DC League of Super-Pets (2022)Release date: Jul 29, 2022
  • Black Adam (2022)Release date: Oct 21, 2022
  • The Flash (2023)Release date: Jun 23, 2023
  • Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)Release date: Mar 17, 2023
  • Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2022)Release date: Dec 16, 2022
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Rachel Labonte
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Rachel LaBonte is a news, feature, and movie review writer for Screen Rant with a deep passion for film and television. A graduate of Emerson College, she majored in Media Arts Production while specializing in screenwriting. She’s been a writer ever since high school when she realized she was rather good at it and joined as many entertainment news clubs as she could while in school. Most notably, she wrote for Emerson’s website Emertainment Monthly, and one of her film reviews won an Evvy (Emerson’s student awards) for Best Review. Her deep love of movies led to her working at a movie theater for five years, which she loved despite the angry customers. An avid reader who constantly buys books before reading the ones she already owns, Rachel is a huge fan of superheroes (especially of the Marvel variety) and wizards and will likely never be able to catch up on all the movies/TV shows she longs to watch.

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