Benicio Del Toro closing in on role in James Gunn's Suicide Squad: Report

James Gunn's Suicide Squad sequel/franchise reboot is slowly and quietly stacking its central cast with A-listers. According to a report from Forbes, Star Wars: The Last Jedi's Benicio del Toro is circling the project and may end up playing a character known as "The General" or "The Mayor." 

In the comics, there is a character nicknamed "General" (Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong) who first appeared in the pages of Detective Comics #654 in 1992. Created by Chuck Dixon, Armstrong has a special talent for military strategy and is well-trained in the use of firearms.

There's also General Wade Eiling, sometimes known as "The General," a villain closely tied to the origins of both Captain Atom and Major Force. Conceived by Cary Bates and Pat Broderick, he debuted in the pages of 1987's Captain Atom #1.

Nevertheless, it's unclear at this point if del Toro will be playing Armstong, Eiling, some other established character, or, perhaps, a brand-new one.

As for confirmed casting news, we know that Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) and Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang) are both returning to the series. There's also a good chance that Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) and Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag) will reprise their DCEU roles as well.

Newcomers include: Idris Elba (possibly Bronze Tiger, per the Forbes report), Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher), and David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man). King Shark and Peacemaker are also expected to be part of the lineup, but if the two roles have been filled by actors already, none of it has reached our ears yet. 

Written and directed by Gunn (who was recently re-hired by Disney for the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie), The Suicide Squad hits theaters Aug. 6, 2021. 

Del Toro's next appearance in a genre film is as Swiper the Fox in Paramount/Nickelodeon's Dora and the Lost City of Gold.