Warning: This may contain spoilers for Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Consider yourself warned.
Even with Tom Hardy leaving Warner Bros. Suicide Squad, the cast is still chock-full of star power. The film stars Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as The Joker, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. To replace Hardy, Jake Gyllenhall has been rumored to be Rick Flagg. So it's not like Suicide Squad is hurting for more big-name actors.
Now, according to Forbes, Ben Affleck will appear in the film as Batman. If you've been living under a rock, Affleck is playing Batman in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Batman will be more than a cameo or just appearing in video footage — he'll appear "in-story" when The Joker escapes Arkham Asylum at the end of the film. That will lead into the Batman solo film, influenced by the Joker portion of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns comic book.
This is what as written in Forbes by Mark Hughes:
This would set up the Joker as a possible/likely antagonist in the solo Batman movie that's planned in the next few years, and which I've heard will take some inspiration from Frank Miller's comic book series The Dark Knight Returns — the third issue of which is a story about Batman facing off against an escaped joker. I'm also told that Gotham City Police Commissioner Ellen Yindel (who replaces James Gordon during the comic book story) is planned for inclusion in the film.
If you're wondering about why there's no James Gordon, Badass Digest reported that James Gordon is dead or dies in Batman v Superman or before it. I think it would be perfect having Batman in part of Suicide Squad. And it makes sense so the solo Batman film has a lead in.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is set to release March 25, 2016. Suicide Squad releases August 5, 2016. Other DC Comics movies announced are:
- Wonder Woman – June 23, 2017
- Justice League Part 1 – November 17, 2017
- The Flash – March 23, 2018
- Aquaman – July 27, 2018
- Shazam – April 5, 2019
- Justice League Part 2 – June 14, 2019
- Cyborg – April 3, 2020
- Green Lantern – June 19, 2020
