David Ayer Confirmed To Direct Suicide Squad, New Roster Rumors Emerge

A few weeks ago, Fury and End of Watch director David Ayer was announced as the frontrunner to direct Warner Brothers’ upcoming Suicide Squad film. Now, that news has been made official. As part of the announcement of Warner Bros.’ massive DC Comics slate, studio head Kevin Tsujihara revealed Ayer’s involvement in the film during a meeting with investors this morning.

Unfortunately, we still don’t know much about the project other than the fact that it will hit theaters even sooner than expected, a mere five months after Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. While many (including myself) thought that WB would hold off on introducing the all-villain team until after bigger films like Justice League, the studio seems to be moving full-steam ahead with this lesser-known property.

Of course, the big question now regards who the team will consist of. The roster of supervillains-turned-mercenaries has shifted a lot over the years, though core members like Amanda Waller, Deadshot, Colonel Rick Flag Jr., Captain Boomerang and even Harley Quinn have shown up countless times. Thanks to scoop aficionado El Mayimbe of Latino Review, the movie lineup may have been revealed. He posted the following update on Twitter shortly after the Ayer confirmation:

Free Twitter scoop: The 4 leads of SUICIDE SQUAD film currently casting must be AMANDA WALLER (yes her), DEADSHOT (leader), HARKNESS, VIXEN.

— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) October 15, 2014

Harkness refers to George Harkness, Captain Boomerang, while Vixen is the alter-ego of Mari Jiwe McCabe, who can mimic the ability of any animal that has ever lived on Earth. Amanda Waller is often the head of A.R.G.U.S., the agency that puts together the Suicide Squad, while Deadshot is usually the leader of the team and is one of DC’s most powerful assassins and most skilled marksmen, thanks to his cybernetic red eye.

This, of course, is just a rumor for now, but it could in fact point us in the direction that Warner Bros. is heading in with the Suicide Squad film. The more outlandish characters like King Shark will likely be shelved for the time being in order to fit into the more “grounded” world established in Man of Steel, making characters like Deadshot the perfect choices for the roster.

As always, we’ll keep you posted as more Suicide Squad updates become available. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts about this possible roster, and David Ayer’s involvement, in the comments below.

Suicide Squad is scheduled to hit theaters on August 5th, 2016.