'The Suicide Squad' Rumors: Michael Rooker In Talks To Play King Shark In James Gunn's Sequel

James Gunn’s “Suicide Squad” sequel may have just found its King Shark.

Before he jumps back into “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” Gunn is hard at getting his vision of “The Suicide Squad” to the big screen. And while the film has had a rocky road to production since the first film released in 2016, it appears the sophomore installment is coming together.

First reported from The Wrap, Michael Rooker is currently rumored to be in talks to play the role of King Shark on the new version of the team. He would be joining other rumored newcomers including Idris Elba, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, and John Cena along with the returning Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, and Joel Kinnaman.

King Shark is a longtime villain in the DC universe and is a humanoid shark that has been a consistent member of the titular team in recent years.

For anyone unfamiliar, Rooker has been a staple of Gunn’s films for years. Their first collaboration was on Gunn’s directorial debut, “Slither,” and continued into films like “Super” and “The Belko Experiment.” However, their highest profile projects together have been the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, where Rooker appeared as the Ravager leader Yondu.

This casting would mean Rooker would join Zachary Levi as an actor who has made the jump from Marvel to DC. Levi, himself, played Fandral in “Thor: The Dark World” before being killed in “Thor: Ragnarok,” freeing him up to star in 2019’s “Shazam!” And while Rooker’s Yondu was a more prominent character in the “Guardians” films, Yondu met a similar fate in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”

“The Suicide Squad” is scheduled for release on Aug. 6, 2021.