Joel Kinnaman has moved to the front of the pack to replace Tom Hardy in the upcoming "Suicide Squad" movie.
Kinnaman is in early talks to take over the role of Rick Flagg, the leader of the DC Comics anti-hero squad, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hardy left the comic book movie in mid-January due to a scheduling conflict with the movie he's currently shooting, "The Revenant."
"Script issues" also may have played a part in his decision to drop out, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The main cast signed on to the film without reading a completed screenplay, which was still being written.
"Suicide Squad" features an all-star cast including Will Smith as Deadshot, Jared Leto as the Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Boomerang and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress. Viola Davis will play Amanda Waller, the former congressional aide and government agent placed in charge of the unruly crew, if she can work the schedule around shooting for her ABC series, "How to Get Away with Murder."
Jake Gyllenhaal passed on the part last month. Joel Edgerton and Jon Bernthal have also been mentioned as possible replacements.
Kinnaman starred on the AMC/Netflix series "The Killing" and played the titular character in "RoboCop" (2014). He'll appear in Terrence Malick's new film "Knight of Cups" later this year.
David Ayer will direct "Suicide Squad," which starts filming in mid-May with cast and crew assembling in Toronto in mid-April.
"Suicide Squad" will open in theaters on Aug. 5, 2016.
