Suicide Squad 2 director James Gunn has shared a behind the scenes photo of himself and Sylvester Stallone in celebration of the actor's 75th birthday. Gunn and Stallone first worked together on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017 where Stallone played Stakar Ogord, a Ravager captain and former friend of Michael Rooker's Yondu. The pair are set to reunite in Gunn's upcoming The Suicide Squad, a soft reboot of David Ayer's Suicide Squad, that is set for release on August 6th. In the film, Stallone will voice King Shark, who join the titular squad alongside Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn and Idris Elba's Bloodsport as they undertake a dangerous mission on behalf of Viola Davis' Amanda Waller.
Stallone has had a long and storied career as an actor that has spanned seven decades having appeared in 86 films. He is perhaps best known for playing boxer Rocky Balboa in 1976's Rocky, which he also wrote and was consequently nominated both for best actor and best original screenplay at that year's Academy Awards. Stallone has since gone on to reprise the role in the subsequent Rocky sequels and spin-off series Creed.
Gunn shared the picture of himself and Stallone on his Twitter account late last night - notably a day after Stallone's birthday of July 6th. In the photo, the pair appear behind the scenes on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 with Stallone decked out in Ravager costume as Stakar Ogord. The director added a message of "Happy Birthday to my friend, the legend @TheSlyStallone!" You can see the full Tweet below:
Gunn and Stallone clearly enjoy working together as noted from Stallone's willingness to work alongside the director on The Suicide Squad. Gunn has himself has never been short of praise for Stallone, having previously stated how much he enjoys working with the actor and that he even wrote the role of King Shark with Stallone's voice in mind.
While it is unclear whether Stallone will return when Gunn returns to the MCU to round out his trilogy with 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 many remain hopeful that Stallone will return, especially considering the level of respect and friendship between the two. Stakar was last seen reassembling his former crew in a post-credits scene in Vol. 2, which comprised a number of classic characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy's comics history, including Martinex, Charlie-27, and Mainframe. While a fun nod to the Guardians' long history in the comics, it would be fun to see a potential return of the characters, or even a Disney+ series exploring their adventures as Ravagers the events of the films. Principal filming for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to begin later this year, but until then, fans will have to wait until August 6th when The Suicide Squad opens to get their fix of Sly Stallone.
More: When Does The Suicide Squad Fit Into The DCEU Timeline?
Source: James Gunn
