SUICIDE SQUAD Announces Cast, Confirms Jared Leto as The Joker

So...any takers on who won't be coming home?

The Hollywood Reporter has word that Warner Bros. has officially announced the cast for Warner Bros. Pictures’ new action adventure Suicide Squad, based on the DC Comics team of supervillains.  The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The film, to be directed by Fury's David Ayer, will star two-time Oscar nominee Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness, Ali) as Deadshot; Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road) as Rick Flagg; Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, Focus) as Harley Quinn; Oscar winner Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club, Alexander) as The Joker; Jai Courtney (Divergent, A Good Day to Die Hard) as Boomerang; and Cara Delevingne (Anna Karenina, Pan) as Enchantress.

In making the announcement, Silverman said, "The Warner Bros. roots are deep on this one.  David Ayer returns to the studio where he wrote Training Day and brings his incredible ability to craft multidimensional villains to this iconic DC property with a cast of longtime Warner collaborators Will Smith and Tom Hardy, and other new and returning favorites: Margot, Jared, Jai and Cara.  We look forward to seeing this terrific ensemble, under Ayer’s amazing guidance, give new meaning to what it means to be a villain and what it means to be a hero."

Ayer is also writing the script for Suicide Squad, which is being produced by Charles Roven (The Dark Knight trilogy, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) and Richard Suckle (American Hustle).  Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Colin Wilson and Geoff Johns are serving as executive producers.

Jesse Eisenberg, who was rumored to be involved with the movie as his Batman v Superman character Lex Luthor, is not part of the official team, nor the official cast, according to sources.  However, that doesn't rule out a cameo appearance for him or other actors playing villains or heroes in the movie.

Created in 1959 by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, the Suicide Squad first appeared in The Brave and the Bold (vol.1) #25 as a team consisting of Rick Flag, his girlfriend Karin Grace, Dr. Hugh Evans, and Jess Bright.  The team was revamped in 1987's Legends #3 and spun off into the popular first Suicide Squad series by John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell, with Flag returning under the direction of Amanda Waller to oversee a new team of supervillains and heroes including Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Enchantress, Bronze Tiger and Nightshade.  In the recent New 52 continuity, Deadshot leads the current team that includes Harley Quinn, King Shark, Black Manta, Deathstroke and The Joker's Daughter.

Suicide Squad is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 5, 2016.