SUICIDE SQUAD Replacing Tom Hardy with Jake Gyllenhaal as Rick Flag

Well, at least there wasn't a skull explosive involved...

The Wrap reports that Jake Gyllenhaal is being courted for the role of Rick Flag in David Ayer's upcoming film adaptation of DC Comics' Suicide Squad.  Gyllenhaal would replace Tom Hardy, who was forced to exit the project because Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s The Revenant is running over schedule into mid-March, after which Hardy will be needed to promote WB’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which comes out on May 15th.  Suicide Squad is expected to start production in April.

According to the article, Gyllenhaal is Ayer’s favorite to play Flag, having previously worked with the director on End of Watch, which led to roles in the Warner Bros. thriller Prisoners and Nightcrawler, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.  In addition, Gyllenhaal is known for his previous films Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Zodiac, Brokeback Mountain, The Day After Tomorrow, Donnie Darko and October Sky.

Created in 1959 by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, Rick Flag, Jr. first appeared in The Brave and the Bold (vol.1) #25 as the leader of the original Suicide Squad, which consisted of Flag, his girlfriend Karin Grace, Dr. Hugh Evans and Jess Bright.  The four were non-powered adventurers fighting superpowered opponents, with adventures that involved conflict with dinosaurs, giants, and other monstrous creatures.  In the team's final mission, Dr. Evans dies, and Jess Bright is captured by forces of the Soviet Union and transformed into the monstrous Koshchei.

After being sent to infiltrate the Forgotten Heroes as a spy for the government, Flag was then recruited to lead the new Suicide Squad formed by Amanda Waller, a role he reluctantly assumed.  Immediately, Rick showed signs of instability, which were worsened when Karin Grace became the team's medic.  Flag hated working with the criminals under his command and his mental instability soon worsened.  He later learned that he is not the son of Rick Flag Sr., but actually a soldier named Anthony Miller who was brainwashed by General Wade Eiling into believing he was Flag's son.

Suicide Squad is currently scheduled to be released on August 5, 2016.