Between his appearances on The Flash, Harley Quinn, and in Rocksteady’s upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League video game, King Shark is becoming increasingly well-known outside of comic book circles. So when it came time for James Gunn to add new characters to The Suicide Squad, bringing the anthropomorphic Great White into the mix was a no-brainer. In fact, King Shark was the very first new addition to the cast of Gunn’s upcoming reboot/sequel.
Gunn revealed this fun tidbit during a new interview with Den of Geek. The director has previously said on numerous occasions that John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad run in the late ‘80s provided most of the inspiration for his take on Task Force X. However, we apparently have King Shark’s appearances in more recent DC titles to thank for his role in Gunn’s reboot.
“I knew that I wanted to use an animal,” said Gunn. “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].”
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Additionally, Gunn discussed how he knew right away that Sylvester Stallone (who also worked with him on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) was the right actor to provide King Shark’s voice.
“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,” added Gunn. “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.”
The Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max on August 6.
Are you looking forward to seeing Gunn’s interpretation of King Shark in the movie? Let us know in the comments down below!
Recommended Reading: Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Trial by Fire
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