James Gunn Wrote King Shark With Sylvester Stallone in Mind

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James Gunn Wrote King Shark With Sylvester Stallone in Mind

When fans got their first look at James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, one of the things that immediately stood out was King Shark. In a recent interview with Den of Geek, Gunn spoke about the fan-favorite, and how he wrote the character with one actor and one actor only in mind.

During the interview, Gunn said that he knew he wanted to use an animal for the film, and since King Shark was part of the Suicide Squad in the newer runs of comics, he chose him. When it comes to the character, he knew Sylvester Stallone was the perfect actor to portray him.

“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,” Gunn reveals. “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.”

Fans haven’t gotten the chance to see much of King Shark in the film, but just from his brief appearances in the trailer, it seems like he’ll be a favorite from the very start. The Suicide Squad is scheduled to release on August 6, 2021, when it will launch in theaters and on HBO Max.

The Suicide Squad features returning stars Margot Robbie (Birds of Prey), Jai Courtney (Honest Thief), Joel Kinnaman (Suicide Squad), and Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) as Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Rick Flag and Amanda Waller, respectively,

New actors to the series include Idris Elba (Avengers: Infinity War), John Cena (Peacemaker), Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who), David Dastmalchian (Dune), Daniela Melchior (Parque Mayer), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), Alice Braga (Elysium), Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island), Joaquín Cosio (Spider-Man: Into the SpiderVerse), Juan Diego Botto (The Europeans), Storm Reid (Euphoria), Nathan Fillion (The Rookie), Steve Agee (Brightburn), Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Mayling Ng (Wonder Woman), Flula Borg (Ralph Breaks the Internet), Jennifer Holland (Peacemaker), Tinashe Kajese (Valor), and Stallone (Rambo).