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Walking Dead alum Michael Rooker stars in James Gunn’s Suicide Squad

By Renee Hansen

ROSEMONT, IL - AUGUST 25: Actor Michael Rooker during the Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on August 25, 2017 in Rosemont, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images)
ROSEMONT, IL - AUGUST 25: Actor Michael Rooker during the Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on August 25, 2017 in Rosemont, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images) /
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You might have noticed a familiar face in the new James Gunn Suicide Squad movie trailer. The Walking Dead’s own Michael Rooker stars in this new film.

Rooker plays Brian Durlin/Savant, and you see his look in the Tweet below. Savant is a spoiled heir to a massive fortune who first appeared in Birds of Prey #56 in 2003. He has long flowing locks of blonde hair, which is comical but awesome. All of the posters warn us, “Don’t get too attached,” and Gunn has said he had no restrictions on who he could kill off! And with Rooker’s history in other projects, well, I guess we will see.

He is a part of a huge all-star cast including Margo Robbie, Jared Leto, John Cena, Idris Elba, Pete Davidson, Nathan Fillion, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis and Sylvester Stallone. And there are so many more great actors in this film.

If Rooker’s portrayal of Yondu in the Guardian of the Galaxies movies indicates how he will handle his role in Suicide Squad, everyone is in for a treat. Rooker just has a flair that adds a certain something to all of his roles.

https://twitter.com/DCComics/status/1375466430921990150

Michael Rooker played Merle Dixon in a few seasons of the Walking Dead; what else has he been in?

When we first met Rooker’s character Merle Dixon in season one of The Walking Dead, he was far from an instant fan favorite. He was a racist redneck that didn’t care about anyone but himself and his baby brother Daryl (Norman Reedus). And, even his care for his brother was fleeting.

He came up missing in season one and didn’t return until season 3, besides his appearance in Daryl’s hallucination in season two. Merle was in league with the villain, the Governor, by that time and wasn’t too keen on any of Daryl’s friends, as they are the ones who left him handcuffed on a roof in Georgia. This act forced him to cut off his own hand so you can understand his anger towards them. In the end, he did redeem himself.

Besides The Walking Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy, F9 and the new Suicide Squad, Rooker is no stranger to other projects. You can see him in Brightburn, Love and Monsters, Fantasy Island, to name only a few of his recent credits, as his career started back in the mid-80s.

Rooker’s future projects include a TV movie The President is Missing and A Good Man is Hard to Find. 

As I am researching this article, I discovered that fellow TWD cast member Marisol Correa (Oceanside Sentry) would also star in the Suicide Squad movie. It’s always awesome when we see other TWD cast members in new projects.

Next. Greg Nicotero filmed two seasons of Creepshow during a pandemic. dark

Watch for Rooker and Correa when Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max on August 6.

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