Warner Bros. and DC’sThe Suicide Squadwill feature an ensemble cast that includes Idris Elba in the role ofRobert DuBois, a.k.a. Bloodsport. Now, director James Gunn has confirmed that he wrote Bloodsport with Idris Elba in mind for the role.
Before Elba’s role inThe Suicide Squadwas officially announced at Warner Bros. DC FanDome event, there were rumors he wasoriginally going to take over the role of Deadshotfrom Will Smith, who portrayed the character in David Ayer’s film about the supervillain team. According to the rumor,The Suicide Squadwriter and director James Gunn later opted to cast Elba as a new character in order to give Smith the option of reprising the role of Deadshot in the future. However, Gunn has seemingly debunked those rumors by revealing he specifically wrote the role of Bloodshot with Elba in mind even before the two had met.
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“I rarely write roles for actors I’ve never met, but I did exactly that for [Idris Elba] in The Suicide Squad & couldn’t be happier I did,” Gunn explained in a Twitter post celebrating the actor’s 48th birthday. The director ofThe Suicide Squadcommended Elba for his performance as Bloodsport, saying, “you went beyond my expectation as an actor AND as a human being. I can’t wait for folks to see you as Bloodsport.” The photo featuring multiple cast members ofThe Suicide Squadincluded in Gunn’s post was taken duringthe virtual panel for the filmat Warner Bros.' DC FanDome.
In the comics, theRobert DuBois version of Bloodsport has a mental breakdown and develops an obsession with the Vietnam war upon learning that his brother has become a quadruple amputee after deciding to fight in DuBois' place. Convinced that Superman is the enemy by an agent of Lex Luthor, DuBois takes on the Bloodsport name and severely injures Superman with Kryptonite bullets before his brother confronts him, eventually leading to DuBois being returned to a psychiatric hospital. During the quiz show portion ofThe Suicide Squadpanel at DC FanDome, Gunn confirmed that Elba’s incarnation of Bloodsport will also be incarcerated for shooting Superman with Kryptonite bullets, but did not specify any other connections to the source material.
Anticipation for Gunn’sThe Suicide Squadhas only increased since fans were given their first glimpse at the film at DC FanDome. Those eagerly awaitingThe Suicide Squadalso need not be concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the film at this time, as has beenthe case with Warner Bros.The Batman;production was completed before the worldwide shutdowns caused the virus took place.
Of course, Gunn’s involvement inThe Suicide Squadhas meant that audiences will be waiting longer than expected forthe thirdGuardians of the Galaxyfilm. While Gunn was reinstated as the director of the Marvel Studios film after being fired due to controversial social media posts he wrote years ago, his commitment to completingThe Suicide Squadfor Warner Bros. and DC takes precedent.
The Suicide Squadwill be released in theaters on August 04, 2025.
