Oprah Winfrey is lining up some major acting roles, but will Suicide Squad be one of them?
What’s one way to make sure the already impressive Suicide Squad cast line-up gets people talking? Add Oprah Winfrey as the leader of the super-villain team.
After the huge announcement revealing Jared Leto as the Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot, fans are just waiting on one major role: Amanda Waller, the Nick Fury-esque ringleader of the squad.
Variety reveals that Oprah Winfrey is on top of the studio’s shortlist, with high-profile actresses like Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer also being considered.
In Green Lantern (2011), the character was portrayed by Angela Bassett. In Arrow, the young Amanda is played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson.
Oprah has done some voice work and TV guest appearances over the last couple of years, but her first major acting job in a while has been the 2013 history epic The Butler.
She’s also appearing in the upcoming, Oscar-buzz-worthy Selma.
In other casting news, Jesse Eisenberg might reprise his role as Lex Luthor in the film: he will first portray Superman’s arch-nemesis in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Suicide Squad sees a group of super-villains team up and carry out government missions, in exchange for shorter prison sentences.
It’ll be directed by David Ayer, and is set for release on Aug. 5, 2016.