Warner Bros. may have found their new Rick Flagg, with The Wrap reporting that Joel Kinnaman is set to replace Tom Hardy in Suicide Squad. The news comes almost exactly one month after Tom Hardy left the project, citing scheduling conflicts with Alejandro González Iñárritu's The Revenant. There were unconfirmed reports that the actor actually backed away because his role was reduced in new versions of the screenplay.

If Joel Kinnaman's deal is finalized, he will join Will Smith (Deadshot), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Jared Leto (The Joker), Jai Courtney (Boomerang), Cara Delevingne (Enchantress) and Viola Davis (Amanda Waller). Jesse Eisenberg has also been rumored to reprise his role as Lex Luthor from next year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Joel Edgerton and Jon Bernthal were also in consideration for the Rick Flagg role, but it appears that Warner Bros. is now going with Joel Kinnaman.

David Ayer is directing Suicide Squad from his own screenplay, with production scheduled to begin in Toronto this April. Joel Kinnaman is best known for playing Holder in the hit TV series The Killing. He also starred in last year's RoboCop remake, and will next be seen in Run All Night and Child 44, debuting later this year.