What would the cast of Suicide Squad look like if it was made in the 1990s? Here's a recasting of the 2016 DC Extended Universe movie. Directed by David Ayer, Suicide Squad was the third movie released in the DCEU. In the aftermath of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's release, Warner Bros. implemented major reshoots and a new edit to try and change the tone of the movie. While Suicide Squad was a financial success after making over $700 million, the reception from critics and general audiences was quite mixed.
Suicide Squad focused on a group of super criminals who were tasked with dangerous missions that, upon their completion, will lead to a reduced prison sentence. The Suicide Squad saw Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and Slipknot (Adam Beach). They are led by Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Katana (Karen Fukuhara) in the field and are sent on a mission by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to defeat Enchantress (Cara Delevigne).
Even with the mixed response to Suicide Squad, WB and DC are making a sequel/reboot with James Gunn. The Suicide Squad is scheduled to be released in 2021 and keep the franchise moving forward with some returning cast members. But, what would the franchise look like if it was made a few decades ago? WB and DC were already busy working on solo Batman movies at the time, and here's what Suicide Squad's cast could've looked like if it was made in the 1990s.
Drew Barrymore as Harley Quinn
To lead Suicide Squad, we're going with Drew Barrymore as Harley Quinn. Barrymore was already a big deal in Hollywood during the '90s, as one of her earliest roles came as a child in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. She would make for a slightly younger version of Harley than Margot Robbie, but still has everything needed to be a convincing Harley. Barrymore also already has a connection to DC that could make for an interesting retcon. She played Sugar in Batman Forever, but with the limited information given on the character, if Suicide Squad was made in the 1990s, Sugar could be retconned to be an alias of Harley potentially.
Wesley Snipes as Deadshot
Instead of Will Smith, a 1990s version of Suicide Squad could feature Wesley Snipes as Deadshot. Snipes was a major star during the decade thanks to roles in White Men Can't Jump, Demolition Man, Money Train, and Waiting to Exhale. He could then fill the role of a proven box office and action star. Snipes also has the personality to play an expert assassin. While this might prevent him from starring in Blade in this alternate universe, Deadshot isn't returning for the sequel, Snipes could still play the daywalker.
Hugh Jackman as Captain Boomerang
For the role of Captain Boomerang, a young Hugh Jackman could've had his breakout role as the Aussie criminal. Jackman would be in his mid-20s during this time and not yet cast as Wolverine in X-Men. His Marvel superhero role has already proven he has what it takes to be part of a big franchise, but Captain Boomerang would give Jackman the chance to show off more of his comedic ability potentially and use his natural Australian accent.
Antonio Banderas as El Diablo
For El Diablo, we're going with Antonio Banderas. He was starting to become quite a big star during the decade thanks to movies like Desperado, Assassins, and the Mask of Zorro franchise. The role of El Diablo as it was presented in Suicide Squad might not provide Banderas a chance to use his charm, but the opportunity to play a man tortured by the fact he accidentally killed his family is the type of material Banderas could excel with.
Michael Clarke Duncan as Killer Croc
The role of Killer Croc was done practically in 2016's Suicide Squad and would have to do the same in the 1990s, so Michael Clarke Duncan becomes the ideal candidate to play him. He started to break out as an actor in the late '90s thanks to The Green Mile but Suicide Squad could've been his first big break instead. At 6'5, Duncan possesses the physique needed to make Killer Croc an imposing figure, but he's also a great actor who could make the most of the character's limited dialogue.
Ming-Na Wen as Katana
We're going with Ming-Na Wen as the 1990s version of Katana in Suicide Squad. Wen was just starting her acting career in this decade, with her role as Chun-Li in Street Fighter her biggest on-screen role. Throughout her career, Wen has proven to be a great action performer and was great as Melinda May in Agents of SHIELD. Katana might not have much dialogue in the 2016 version of Suicide Squad, but Wen can also deliver a performance that brings out the subtlety of the character's emotional state.
Kate Winslet as Enchantress
Kate Winslet is our pick to take over the role of June Moon aka Enchantress in a 1990s Suicide Squad. She became one of the brightest young stars during the end of the decade, so Suicide Squad could be able to catch her before or get her right as she was breaking out after Titanic. Throughout Winslet's career, she has played a wide range of characters and brought wonderful performances to a number of them. The hope here is that she could elevate the role of Enchantress as it was presented in 2016.
Bill Paxton as Rick Flagg
To lead the new look Task Force X, Bill Paxton is the choice to take over the role of Rick Flag. Paxton was an excellent character actor in the 1980s who started to take on even bigger roles in the 1990s with Twister, True Lies, Apollo 13, and Titanic. He's even played a military leader type on a few occasions, such as in Edge of Tomorrow. Flag was a bit of an underwhelming character in the original version of the movie, but Paxton's unique energy could help the character standout in our 1990s version.
Willem Dafoe as Joker
Willem Dafoe has long been near the top of fan cast lists to play Joker, so what better time to make this a reality than with a 1990s Suicide Squad. Dafoe had already been in a number of high profile and successful films by the '90s, but a chance to play the Clown Prince of Crime might be too big to pass up. His actual career has shown that he can be a great comic book movie villain after playing Green Goblin in Spider-Man, but his turn as Joker would now come before.
Pam Grier as Amanda Waller
For the woman behind the entire Suicide Squad operation, we're going with Pam Grier as the 1990s Amanda Waller. Grier was already an established talent by this time after her roles in blaxploitation films throughout the 70s and then starred in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown in 1997. She has the necessary screen presence to convincingly make Amanda Waller the most powerful person in a room full of people with actual powers, and maybe her casting would even provide some rewrites to get Waller involved in some action herself.
Val Kilmer as Batman
If Warner Bros. and DC were making Suicide Squad in the 1990s, then the opportunity would be there for them to use their current Batman actor as well. This is exactly what the studios did in 2016 by having Ben Affleck make an appearance as the Dark Knight, so the 1990s version of Suicide Squad could see Val Kilmer reprise his role. Since Batman Forever came out in 1995, Suicide Squad could've been released a few years later and kept Kilmer around. But, George Clooney could be the one to appear if the movie was made any later, and Michael Keaton could be in consideration to return if it was made in the early '90s.
