King Shark Was The First New Character James Gunn Added To ‘The Suicide Squad’ Roster
James Gunn has revealed that the first new character he added to the Suicide Squad roster was none other than Sylvester Stallone’s King Shark.
One of the standouts from The Suicide Squad‘s trailer was Sylvester Stallone’s King Shark, a 6-foot tall walking and talking shark capable of ripping humans into shreds within seconds. It’s quite an inventive character and feels completely on-brand for James Gunn’s zany style. It’s no surprise for fans of Gunn’s to find out that King Shark was one of the first brand new characters written into his soft-reboot of Suicide Squad.
In a recent interview with Den of Geek, James Gunn discussed how after he decided that Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller would be in his take on The Suicide Squad, he’d need an animal to help round things out.
“I knew that I wanted to use an animal, and I knew that King Shark was a member of the Squad in the newer comics, I liked the concept of that character. So King Shark [was my first addition].”
What’s even more exciting is that Gunn knew that, right off the bat, he was writing King Shark with Sylvester Stallone in mind for the character’s voice. Gunn had previously worked with Sly in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol.2.
“Strangely, as I’ve become more able to get whatever actor I want for roles in movies, I started taking risks and writing for actors that I don’t know. So for instance, I wrote Bloodsport for Idris Elba, having never met him, but being a big fan of his work in other places. And I knew Sly, and I know him pretty well. So I wrote the role of King Shark with his voice in mind.”
Are you excited to see King Shark in The Suicide Squad? Comment below and let us know!
You can check out the synopsis for the James Gunn film below.
Welcome to hell—a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission, with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them—all of them.
Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad stars David Dastmalchian, John Cena, Jai Courtney, Joaquín Cosío, Nathan Fillion, Joel Kinnaman, Mayling Ng, Flula Borg, Sean Gunn, Juan Diego Botto, Storm Reid, Pete Davidson, Taika Waititi, Alice Braga, Steve Agee, Tinashe Kajese, Daniela Melchior, Peter Capaldi, Julio Ruiz, Jennifer Holland, Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Margot Robbie and Michael Rooker.
The Suicide Squad is currently scheduled to hit theaters and HBO Max on August 6, 2021. Stay tuned for all the latest news regarding the DC Films project and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
Source: Den of Geek