King Shark is having something of a resurgence, with a leading role in both The Suicide Squad and Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League video game. In the former, the Task Force X member will be voiced by Sylvester Stallone, and fans have already fallen in love with the character based on what we've seen from the movie's trailers.
Talking to Den of Geek about his decision to have King Shark assemble alongside the rest of The Suicide Squad's baddies, director James Gunn opened up about his thought process for including the character.
"Who doesn’t want to see a fish eat a lot of people that somehow people think is inexplicably cute?" the filmmaker laughs. "I knew that I wanted to use an animal, and I knew that King Shark was a member of the Squad in the newer comics. I liked the concept of that character. So King Shark [was my first addition]."
As for what made Stallone right for the role, Gunn said he penned the movie's screenplay with the legendary star of movies like Rocky and Rambo (and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) in mind.
"Strangely, as I’ve become more able to get whatever actor I want for roles in movies, I started taking risks and writing for actors that I don’t know," Gunn says. "So for instance, I wrote Bloodsport for Idris Elba, having never met him, but being a big fan of his work in other places. And I knew Sly, and I know him pretty well. So I wrote the role of King Shark with his voice in mind."
King Shark is fond of eating people, but also happens to be weirdly likeable. As a result, it's easy to imagine fans and regular moviegoers alike responding well to him when they get to watch the movie itself. However, Gunn was quick to end the interview by pointing out, "King Shark is much less sentimental than Groot..."
The Suicide Squad will be released in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6th, 2021.