Geekscape Games Podcast: Level 87 – ‘Cannons For Kenny’

On the weekend that Marvel Studios seems poised to take over with the massively successful Avengers: Age of Ultron, one surefire way to steal some thunder as their biggest competitor is to show what you’ve got cooking. Suicide Squad director David Ayer just served up a nice, hot appetizer, so dig in. (By the way, I’m kind of hungry, can anyone make me something?)

David Ayer tweeted the first official cast photo, seen below.

Task Force X assembled and ready. #SuicideSquad pic.twitter.com/fEV7E1aPsm

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) May 3, 2015

If you’re darting your eyes looking for Jared Leto as The Joker, you can lean back in your chair. He’s not in it. While this is from Suicide Squad, it’s a photo of the assembled Task Force X, and rumors of Joker playing more of a villain than anti-hero protagonist seem to be true.

But if you want to know who makes up Task Force X, here’s the breakdown:

Adam Beach (Slipknot), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), Cara Delevinge (Enchantress), Karen Fukuhara (Katana), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flagg), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Will Smith (Deadshot), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Croc), and Jay Hernandez (Diablo).

Out the gate, I can say one thing: I like it! If any of the upcoming DC movies has me the most excited it’s Suicide Squad, and this first look hasn’t disappointed me. Yeah, it’s erring on the comically gritty tone that DC seems to be aiming for that I’ve had quite enough of, but this is nice. I’m picking up what they’re putting down (or, uploading online).

One of the most crucial elements to nail down for Suicide Squad is Harley Quinn, a tall order as she’s been a longtime fan favorite that hasn’t had her day in the cinematic sun. Margot Robbie looks amazing so far, so consider expectations for Suicide Squad raised. It’s certainly a 180 from how I felt about Jared Leto’s Juggalo-on-meth Joker.

That’s not all though. Here’s a clearer look at Will Smith as Deadshot in full costume that Ayer tweeted shortly after.

Deadshot #SuicideSquad pic.twitter.com/HEF0jFeMsO

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) May 4, 2015

Excited? You’ve still got over a year to go, so just relax. Suicide Squad is set for August 5, 2016.

First Cast Photo of Suicide Squad!

by KarsonApril 9, 2015

David Ayer tweeted a picture of the Suicide Squad cast who had gathered for the first read through of the script.

Cast read through today! #SuicideSquad pic.twitter.com/yajjcB5aEb

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) April 9, 2015

Amongst those photographed are Cara Develigne as Enchantress, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc, and Will Smith as Deadshot.

Uh. Guys, where’s Jared Leto?

The villain heavy film is based on the DC comic about a team of imprisoned super-villains who perform dangerous missions for the U.S. Government in exchange for lessened sentences. Suicide Squad is set for a Summer 2016 release!

Which villains are you excited to see on the big screen? Let us know in the comments below.

Warner Bros. Announces ‘Suicide Squad’ Cast!

by Eric FranciscoDecember 2, 2014

According to Newsarama, Warner Bros. has just announced the cast of Suicide Squad, the next entry in their line-up of DC movies after Batman v. Superman.

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the Suicide Squad:

Jared Leto as The Joker

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn

Will Smith as Deadshot

Tom Hardy as Rick Flag

Jai Courtney as Boomerang

Cara Delevingne as Enchantress

What a hell of a cast! If you’ve been following the rumors this list isn’t a surprise at all, rather it’s the accuracy of those rumors that have been raising eyebrows.

From Newsarama:

The movie will begin shooting in April 2015 in Toronto, and is the second film on the WB/DC mega-docket announced in October, following Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

“We look forward to seeing this terrific ensemble, under David Ayer’s amazing guidance, give new meaning to what it means to be a villain and what it means to be a hero,” said WB President Greg Silverman.

Ayer has previously said the film will go by the credo, “Does a movie really need good guys?”

It is not yet known who will be playing Amanda Waller, the government liaison and shot-caller of the squad. Jesse Eisenberg, who is portraying Superman villain Lex Luthor in Batman v. Superman, is also rumored to be involved with Suicide Squad in some capacity, but how much or even if at all is unknown.

Let’s get the big reveal out of the way: Jared Leto as The Joker. First, The Joker has never really been a regular on the Suicide Squad roster all that much in the comics, so his involvement with the movie is definitely Warner Bros.’/DC’s way of getting him to eventually cross with Batman. There is no question.

As great as the Oscar-winning performance Heath Ledger was when he was the Clown Prince back in 2008, that’s his performance. One actor alone cannot define a character. I always rolled my eyes when fanboys shouted that the Joker should be retired from film. Keeping other artists from contributing to the life of a character, that’s dumb. I can’t say I’m a fan of Jared Leto, but seeing how The Joker character has brought out some of the best performances from great actors in the last few decades, I look forward to seeing how Jared Leto fares.

The other big news: Will Smith as Deadshot! That’s a great choice. Yeah, he has a weird family, but that shouldn’t have any bearing on him as a performer. Furthermore, it will be interesting how he plays a cold-hearted killer when for years he’s been known as America’s best friend. The guy who wore hot pink shirts and rapped (with PG-friendly lyrics) about partying in Miami will play the deadliest assassin in comic books. I can’t wait to see him. Also, there are some very close-minded comic fans who come out every so often deriding racial casting changes of their favorite characters. So far, I haven’t heard a single peep about Will Smith as Deadshot. Why so quiet, bigots?

The rest of the cast range from solid to fascinating. Tom Hardy, playing his second DC villain, is on the verge of a cultural comeback. I love Tom Hardy as an actor, and I know it has only been two years since The Dark Knight Rises but his momentum as a Hollywood star slowed somewhat after that. He only had one movie, the critically-acclaimed Locke, in 2013 and The Drop this year. But with a slew of new movies coming up, among them Mad Max: Fury Road and now Suicide Squad, your girlfriend (or boyfriend!) will be going back to the theater more.

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn will have an interesting shoe to fill. While Harley has never been in a movie before, she is so beloved by fans. From her debut in Batman: The Animated Series to the critically-acclaimed Batman: Arkham City, fans can’t wait to see The Joker’s paramour on screen. But with no previous shadow to step out of (unlike Leto), Robbie has a chance to cement her own legacy. She might actually be the one thing I’m looking forward to the most from this movie.

David Ayer will be helming this Expendables-esque blockbuster of super baddies and will be in theaters August 6, 2016.

How do you guys feel about the cast of Suicide Squad? Honestly, it’s still hard for me to believe a DC Universe movie series is really happening.

The Mark: A Weekly Look At ‘Arrow’

by Shawn MaddenOctober 24, 2012

The third episode of Arrow lets off another shot and it continues down the path that this show has been on. The show has been getting progressively better with each episode with the action seeming to get stepped up a notch and the character development becoming more interesting. In “Lone Gunmen”, we see Oliver Queen finding himself tasked with taking down a deadly assassin known as Deadshot (played excellently by Michael Rowe), while dealing with personal crises unresolved from his time on the island.

This week’s episode brings in yet another popular DC character very smoothly and in a fashion that is acceptable to both fans as well as the general audience. I’m not quite sure if it’s the stars or the tone of the drama with this series, but with only three episodes down that are full of rich plot developments as well as perfect amounts of action, this show is becoming one of our favorites (well, some of us) of the new season.

The performances in this episode were the strongest of the three, especially for star Stephen Arnell. And while he only had a few lines (keep in mind that Deadshot doesn’t really say much in the comics) I think Michael Rowe’s performance as Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, was fantastic and I would hope for more of it. Well, that is if he survived that final showdown… We’re hoping he did and comes back with a vengeance. Or is that too comic cliché? Overall, the action and the performances in this episode were the best of the three so far.

One thing I feel I have to comment on, while I loved Nolan’s Bat-films, is that Arrow is doing a much better job of the detective angle. I’m really impressed by how much detail they are paying to this and I did feel it was one thing that the Bat-films lacked.

The episode ended with plenty of cliffhangers and questions that left you wanting more, including a pretty big revelation for one of the main characters.

And of course, there are the comic book references & easter eggs that you may have missed:

– The “New 52” reference: Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot is staying in room 52 at the hotel.

– Black Canary foreshadowing: In the club scene we are introduced to Dinah Lance being proficient in hand to hand combat which could foreshadow the chance of seeing her become her DC Comics alter-ego, Black Canary.

– Felicity Smoak: This character isn’t actually a Green Arrow character. Felicity Smoak is a character who was introduced in Firestorm during the 80’s. The character was the manager of a computer software firm in New York City.

Did we miss anything this week? Let us know! And check back next week when we take a look at the next episode: “An Innocent Man”.

New Promo For ‘Arrow’ Invites You To “Meet Deadshot”

by Shawn MaddenOctober 19, 2012

The CW’s Arrow is bringing one of DC Comics’s deadliest assassins front and center in next week’s episode. While Deadshot may not look exactly like he does in the comics, you can tell they took influence from his Arkham City look for this and it looks one hundred times better than that steampunk cowboy we saw on Smallville. Oh, and they made sure and threw in the wrist gun? Awesome. I have a feeling that this episode is going to be even better than the last two as this show continually seems to improve over time. Check out the latest promo for next week’s episode that invites you to “Meet Deadshot”.

Episode 1×03 “Lone Gunmen”—Oliver (Stephen Amell) is surprised when someone shoots and kills one of his targets. As his plan is to bring people to justice vs. outright killing them, Oliver doesn’t appreciate the help and searches for the gunman. He soon learns that the man, Deadshot (guest star Michael Rowe), is taking out businessmen who are scheduled to bid at an auction on an energy company and Walter (Colin Salmon) is one of the bidders. Realizing he can’t protect his family and stop Deadshot at the same time, Oliver enlists Detective Lance’s (Paul Blackthorne) help, but his plan has dire consequences. Meanwhile, Laurel (Katie Cassidy) and Tommy (Colin Donnell) get caught in an awkward situation with Oliver. Willa Holland, David Ramsey and Susanna Thompson also star. Guy Bee directed the episode with story by Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg and teleplay by Marc Guggenheim & Andrew Kreisberg.

A First Look At Deadshot In The CW’s ‘Arrow’

by Shawn MaddenOctober 3, 2012

Not too long ago it was revealed that Deadshot would be making an appearance in the CW’s Arrow. The DC Comics assassin will make his debut in the third episode titled “Lone Gunman”. His look definitely looks much better than that steampunk cowboy thing they went for in Smallville. The eyepiece actually looks nearly identical to the one that Deadshot wears in Arkham City.

Also keep in mind that this isn’t a full look. He’s definitely rocking a trenchcoat in these images and there could be more to it underneath. I’m sure some of you were hoping for the metal mask but keep in mind that this show is intended to be grounded more in reality and the budget may not have allowed for it. Personally? I think it’s pretty good. But what do you guys think?

Source: The Huffington Post

Could We See Batman Appear In CW’s ‘Arrow’?

by Shawn MaddenAugust 2, 2012

We already know that some DC villains would be showing up in Arrow but when producer Marc Guggenheim was asked if fans should expect to see some familiar heroic faces turn up as well. Unfortunately, his answer is pretty vauge on it.

“I would say, ‘Probably.’ One of the things we want to do is roll the show out at the right pace. For the most part, I think we’ve taken the philosophy that things are happening sooner rather than later. I always feel like every time we get the note from the network, ‘Is this happening too soon?,’ I feel like we’re on the right track. I know as a viewer myself, I’m impatient. I want to see stuff. We’re not going to make the audience wait to see characters, plot twists, revelations. I think running out of great characters and great moments is a quality problem to have, and I just want to have them.”

On to topic of the possibility of whether Batman will be one of the allies that this iteration of Oliver Queen meets up with, Guggenheim remains optimistic that the team behind Arrow will be able to use him in the series. Smallville producers wanted to do this for years but the execs at Warner Bros. wouldn’t allow it. Now that Nolan’s films are done could we see Bruce Wayne on the small screen?

“Oh, my hope is that we can use him at some point. I think that plagued the Smallville showrunners more than it plagues us because, obviously, the Dark Knight Trilogy is over. They’re not available to us yet. My hope is that they’ll be available to us at some point. That would be awesome. No question, that would be absolutely awesome. But I don’t know. That’s above my pay grade.”

So, would you like to see Batman make an appearance and team up with the emerald archer on Arrow?

Source: IGN

Deadshot Cast In The CW’s ‘Arrow’!

by Shawn MaddenJuly 30, 2012

A few days ago I reported that Deadshot would be one of the first enemies that Oliver Queen would be going up against in the first season of CW’s Arrow. It’s also been reported that China White and Deathstroke would be amongst his enemies this season and that Kelly Hu who played Deathstrike in X2: X-Men United would be playing the role of China White. No word has hit yet on who would be playing Slade “Deathstroke” Wilson but we do know now that Canadian actor Michael Rowe has been cast in the role of Deadshot.

“Deadshot doesn’t speak much, so he has to have that physicality,” says executive producer Marc Guggenheim (FlashForward) of the Suicide Squad member who may be best known for battling Batman in the comic-book world. “And Michael certainly has that. He has that look.” As for whether Deadshot is a one-shot gig, Guggenheim’s fellow EPs Greg Berlanti (Political Animals) and Andrew Kreisberg (Warehouse 13) both agree that Stephen Amell’s Emerald Archer will most likely cross paths with newcomer Rowe’s hitman beyond this first meeting. “I think that’s very possible,” hints Berlanti.

I was very hesitant about this show at first but once they announced Deadshot would be appearing I was on board. And this guy definitely looks like he can pull the role off. Then again anything will be better than that steampunk cowboy they had on Smallville. So, what do you guys think?

Source: TV Guide

Deadshot, Deathstroke And China White All Confirmed Villains On CW’s ‘Arrow’!

by Shawn MaddenJuly 28, 2012

We saw the Deathstroke mask in the teaser. Kelly Hu has been cast as China White. And now the CW has reportedly confirmed that longtime Suicide Squad member, Deadshot will be taking on Starling City’s Emerald Archer in the third episode of the upcoming series Arrow titled “Lone Gunmen”. They have not yet announced though who will be portraying the character.

Stephen Amell aka Arrow’s Oliver Queen has tweeted his take on the news. Apparently someone really wants Oliver dead as they’ve enlisted DC’s best assassins.

At first I was going to ignore this show…but now I may just have to watch it. Especially if they get Deadshot’s suit right unlike what Smallville. Let us forget about that show.

Source: KSite

Geekscape Casts: ‘Suicide Squad’

by Shawn MaddenJune 12, 2012

Last week DC announced plans to move forward with a Justice League movie. With that came an announcement that they were also moving forward with ‘The Flash’, ‘Wonder Woman’, ‘Aquaman’ and ‘Suicide Squad’.

And with the recent Justice League fancast we did…I chose to do a fan-cast of my own for the DC movie that is moving forward that I am most excited for…

Suicide Squad is an anti-hero team of incarcerated supervillains who act as deniable assets for the United States government, undertaking high-risk black ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences. The group operates out of Belle Reve Penitentiary, currently under the command of Amanda Waller.

Now one thing about this is that i’m going to cast this movie ground in a bit of realism. I’m not going to use characters with superpowers exactly. I’m more so pursuing an ‘Expendables of the comic world’ casting here. I’ll also be focusing on more of a ‘New 52’ team versus a classic team. I know… I apologize to the Rick Flag fans.

Amanda Waller (Angela Bassett)

So first things first…we already have Waller established. No need to re-cast. This will establish some form of connection/continuity amongst the DC movies with Waller playing a Fury-like role.

Deadshot aka Floyd Lawton (Sam Worthington)

Sorry I can’t see him as Bruce Wayne myself. But I’ve been saying this one for awhile now… Worthington would play a perfect version of the moody ‘New 52’ Deadshot. Just imagine him playing the role like he played Marcus in ‘Terminator: Salvation’. Plus having his name to the film would definitely draw crowds.

Captain Boomerang aka George “Digger” Harkness (Guy Pearce)

So let’s add another fan-favorite actor to the mix here. And to top it off he’s Australian. Score.

Black Spider aka Eric Needham (Michael Jai White)

‘Suicide Squad’ definitely has to be an action movie. So we need actors who can pull off action. And to top it off he looks the part. Another perfect fit.

Harley Quinn aka Harleen Frances Quinzel (Kristen Bell)

Harley is definitely needed in a ‘Suicide Squad’ flick and we definitely need someone that can pull of that twisted evil/cute/hot/mentally unstable role and if you remember her as Elle on ‘Heroes’ I can definitely see this working.

Savant aka Brian Durlin (Liam Hemsworth)

So, Marvel had success with his brother Chris. Why can’t DC use Liam? His name alone will draw. And especially after ‘The Hunger Games’ and the upcoming ‘Expendables 2’ we know he can pull off action roles.

So, as I stated at the start of this article…i’m going after realism here. I think the concept of ‘Suicide Squad’ will work much better with realistic characters and thats why I chose the above. And I left Rick Flag out just because I think he’s kind of boring.

So, who would the Squad go toe to toe with? My pick would be personally villains who had escaped Belle Reve and Waller wants them shut down before they can open their mouths about the existence of Task Force X.

Count Vertigo (Paul Bettany)

Bettany has proven that he can do action films. But can he pull off the villain role? Id like to see.

Dr. Light (Robert Knepper)

Dr. Light is a rapist and creep. Have you ever seen Knepper on ‘Prison Break’? That combined with his role on ‘Heroes’? Perfection.

Bronze Tiger (Wesley Snipes. Yes…really.)

Yes. Wesley Snipes. Does he have the look? Check. Does he know martial arts? Check. Would he draw in crowds? Check. Do they both apparently like orange turtlenecks? Check.

Scandal Savage (Morena Baccarin)

Yes I know she’s a member of ‘Secret Six’ but I felt like mixing in another female in here for a super sexy showdown with Harley. You want to see that right? She has the look. Can she pull the role off? Not sure. But she has the look!

The above are solely my opinions. Feel free to agree or disagree in the box below.