The Suicide Squad will see a "completely different" version of Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag, according to the actor.
The James Gunn-directed 2021 adaptation of the 1989 comic book series sees the return of several actors from David Ayer's 2016 adaptation. Margot Robbie returns as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney returns as Captain Boomerang, Viola Davis will reprise her role as Amanda Waller and Kinnaman returns to play Rick Flag. According to Kinnaman, however, his character in The Suicide Squad isn't quite the same as his 2016 role, who was portrayed as a strict military officer. "It was a completely different version of the character," Kinnaman stated in an interview with ComicBook.com.
Kinnaman suggested that the new version of Rick Flag is much lighter and matched with Gunn's sense of humor for the film. "I got to flex some comedic muscles, and it was a much looser and I think also warmer version of the character that I think connected much more with the other characters around," Kinnaman continued. "A little less cynical of the world and a little bit more idealistic. And yeah, I personally just felt a lot more loose in this version than I did in the first one."
Kinnaman recently noted how Gunn brought his brand of humor from Guardians of the Galaxy to the production. "He's an incredible guy. He's written a fantastic script," Kinnaman previously said. "It's so funny… I feel like I'm shooting my first comedy. There are a lot of really funny people there. It's like a learning experience. I'm around a lot of incredibly funny people."
Joel Kinnaman will return to the role of Richard "Rick" Flag, Jr. when The Suicide Squad, written and directed by James Gunn, arrives in theaters and on HBO Max Aug. 6.
Source: ComicBook.com