Filmmaker James Gunn revealed he specifically wrote the part of Bloodsport in his upcoming cinematic reboot of Suicide Squad for Idris Elba.In honor of Elba's 48th birthday, Gunn celebrated Elba's contribution to his work on Twitter. Gunn said that while he rarely writes roles with specific actors in mind, he did write Bloodsport into The Suicide Squad with the intention of having Elba play the part. Gunn praised Elba further by saying the actor has gone beyond his expectations for the role and as a human being, and he is eager for audiences to see Elba's performance when the film releases.
While it was originally rumored that Elba would be taking over the role of Deadshot from David Ayer's Suicide Squad, Gunn's trailer for his upcoming Suicide Squad film at DC FanDome confirmed Elba would be playing the role of Bloodsport instead. Bloodsport debuted in DC's comics as a gun-toting villain in Superman, before evolving into an antihero. While we don't know how much of Bloodsport's origin stories will carry over into Gunn's latest project, we do know that a part of it will. Gunn confirmed that Elba's character will begin in prison for the crime of shooting a gun at Superman which mirrors his original entrance into DC.
Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad stars Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, Michael Rooker as Savant, Flula Borg as Javelin, David Dastmalchian, as Polka-Dot Man, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Mayling NG as Mongal, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, Alice Braga as Solsoria, Steve Agee as King Shark, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Sean Gunn as Weasel, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, John Cena as Peacemaker, Taika Waititi and Storm Reid. The film arrives in theaters Aug. 6, 2021.