Like a gruff, Italian cherry on top of the ever growing celebrity layer cake known as James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, everyone's favorite underdog boxer and second favorite Judge Dredd, Sylvester Stallone, has officially joined the highly anticipated upcoming DC trip.
In an Instagram post from Gunn featuring the director and Stallone posing for a selfie in front of an impressively colorful bar, the partnership was revealed with some humble praise of the veteran actor's work. "Always love working with my friend [Sylvester Stallone] & our work today on #TheSuicideSquad was no exception," Gunn wrote, "Despite Sly being an iconic movie star, most people still don’t have any idea what an amazing actor this guy is." Stallone himself confirmed his participation with a post of his own, adding "I am a very lucky man to be surrounded by such talent.! [sic]"
Many fans will likely take note that this isn't even the only collaboration between the two in recent memory, with Stallone taking a small but beefy little role as the Ravager Starhawk in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. With that in mind, as well as the ever-present speculation of his possible return to the Guardians franchise one day, the idea of seeing him in another comic book film feels like it was just a matter of time. The novel poetry of seeing both Gunn and Stallone jump from Marvel to DC like this also adds a nice bit of spice.
The Suicide Squad is already bursting at the seams with star power, featuring a hefty collection of big names like John Cena (Peacemaker), Idris Elba (Bloodsport), and Peter Capaldi (The Thinker) among a metric whole bunch of others. Some fans are speculating that Stallone will be the voice of King Shark, though comedian Steve Agee has also been rumored for the same role, so time will tell in this particular case. Frankly, Stallone arguably works better on-screen, though it would certainly be interesting to hear a humanoid shark yell about eating people in that soothing asphalt-y tone.
The film's impressive cast almost seemed too ambitious, at least until Gunn began talking about how nobody is really safe since DC gave him free rein to kill whichever characters he wanted. So fans shouldn't be all too surprised if The Suicide Squadturns into a bit of a Deadpool 2 situation, just on a much larger scale. After all, it's far easier to cast big names if they're barely getting any screen time. But as for Stallone, it might not be too risky to assume he'll get a little more time in the spotlight than a simple cameo, especially considering his history with Gunn. Still, it might be best to temper expectations. Don't forget what he did in the same movie where "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" happened.
At this point, one can only wonder if there's still more to be revealed. The star-studded cast of The Suicide Squad very much feels like a "send out casting invitations to everyone and see who bites" type of situation, so don't be surprised if more are revealed before the film premieres (or even after). For now, just appreciate the fact that the guy from Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is in a comic book movie.
Source: Deadline