Yes, Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag is returning for The Suicide Squad -- which is not to be called Suicide Squad 2, because it's not a sequel to Suicide Squad even though it sort of is. Savvy? It's weird. Director James Gunn won't put a label on The Suicide Squad as a sequel or a reboot, but since it's bringing back several stars in their roles from David Ayer's Suicide Squad, there's definitely a through-line.
The Suicide Squad is meant to start filming later this month, and Joel Kinnaman chose to share an interesting way he's preparing. He posted the photo below with The Suicide Squad and Rick Flag hashtags. He also brought in #wimhof for Wim Hof -- aka The Iceman -- a Dutch extreme athlete whose Wim Hof Method combines cold exposure, breathing techniques, and meditation.
How long was he in there before he had 4 minutes and 20 seconds left? Yikes. Joel Kinnaman's Suicide Squad co-star Jay Hernandez (Chato Santana/El Diablo) replied, "...remember the force Luke."
Jay Hernandez doesn't seem to be returning for The Suicide Squad, but otherwise the DC Comics movie seems to have cast half the planet. Not only are Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, and Viola Davis said to be returning from Suicide Squad, we have Idris Elba, Taika Waititi, John Cena, Nathan Fillion, and Peter effing Capaldi in this cast. There are more, and more will surely be added, since someone else is announced every other day. (Cara Delevingne doesn't seem to be returning as June, but we also thought Joel Kinnaman was out at one point.)
What will all of these stars be doing? So far, all we know is The Suicide Squad may have a "fucking phenomenal" villain, per Kevin Smith's gossip, and "explosions and falling structures," per James Gunn himself. It may or may not have a Robert Pattinson Batman appearance. New characters being added reportedly include Ratcatcher, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Peacemaker, among others.
I'm glad Joel Kinnaman will be in The Suicide Squad, even if the Altered Carbon fan in me will miss him in Season 2 on Netflix. Or at least, I think I'll have to miss him.
I can't say I'm drawn to exploring extreme cold treatments like an ice bath or cryotherapy, but if they work for you, have at it. Here's hoping that ice bath does whatever Joel Kinnaman wants it to do for him so he can be in A-plus condition for James Gunn's The Suicide Squad. The movie is currently scheduled for release in August 2021. Keep up with everything heading to the big screen this year with our 2019 movie release date schedule.
