Earlier this week, Warner Bros announced official summer 2021 release dates for Matt Reeves’ The Batman and James Gunn’s Suicide Squad follow-up. Simply titled The Suicide Squad, the DCEU universe installment will not be a direct sequel to the 2016 film. It will instead be a “relaunch” allowing the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker to phase his own vision into the franchise.
The Suicide Squad will reportedly feature a mostly new cast – leaving some upcoming casting news on the horizon. Who will join the franchise? The Walking Dead’s Tom Payne is certainly interested in this question. Here’s what he recently posted to his Twitter:
Hmm… an emoji is worth a thousand words. Either the actor is curious about the new Suicide Squad cast and is softly throwing his name in the ring, or he knows something we don’t! Maybe James Gunn is a Walking Dead fan and will answer the actor’s call or keep him in mind while developing his project.
Tom Payne has been playing Paul ‘Jesus’ Povia in AMC’s zombie-packed drama since season six. SPOILER ALERT: The actor recently exited the television series in the Season 9 mid-season finale when his character was murdered by the Whisperers in a surprising conclusion to his character. Jesus’ death didn’t really bother Payne, because he was growing unhappy with the direction of his character.
The actor also starred in Netflix’s recent sci-fi release Io alongside Margaret Qualley and Anthony Mackie. It looks like his schedule might be otherwise wide open to nab a role in The Suicide Squad if Warner Bros is listening.
Payne has made a case for himself to star in another comic book role: he thinks he’d make a great Wolverine! He pointed out that Hugh Jackman was a little taller than the character is supposed to be, and since he stands at 5-foot-7 and usually dons some scruff, he could be a good contender if Marvel is ever looking for a replacement.
The Suicide Squad could be a great opportunity for the actor to really show his chops as a dramatic actor and action star, and would certainly propel his career way past fans of Walking Dead. The actor has primarily starred in shorts, television shows and television films.
When James Gunn was putting together Guardians of the Galaxy, he enlisted a mix of huge stars, including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper and Benicio Del Toro,along with Doctor Who actress Karen Gillian and WWE wrestler Dave Bautista. Who knows how this team will come together!
David Ayer’s Suicide Squad received mixed reviews but made $746.8 million worldwide. The Suicide Squad is poised to be released just about five years after the first film when it hits theaters on August 6, 2021.
