Did Ant-Man Keep Michael Pena Out of Suicide Squad?

I’ve been a big fan of actorMichael Penafor the past decade or so, after he started popping up in memorable supporting roles in Best Picture winnersMillion Dollar Baby,Crashand my favorite TV series ever,The Shield. Over the past few years, he’s put in some of the best work of his career in two fantasticDavid Ayermovies,End of WatchandFury, and his career will hopefully be taken to the next level with his scene-stealing performance inMarvel’sAnt-Man, in theaters July 17. I recently had the chance to sit down with the actor to discussAnt-Man. Given his strong working relationship withDavid Ayer, I had to ask if he was ever in contention for a role in the filmmaker’sSuicide Squadadaptation, which is currently shooting in Toronto. The actor revealed that, despite getting calls from the director for his past three movies, he was never approached for aSuicide Squadrole.

“No, I think he just passed on me. There was no phone call on that one. I’ve gotten phone calls for the last three movies he’s done, but there was no phone call on that one. It would have been cool, man. I would have loved to go back and forth, because I just lovesuperheroes, period. Anysuperhero movies.”

It isn’t known whyDavid Ayerdidn’t reach out to the talented actor for a role inSuicide Squad. He is around the same age as fellow Latino actorJay Hernandez, who plays Chaco Santana, a.k.a. El Diablo, so it’s possible he could have been offered that role, but it seems that wasn’t in the cards. It’s possible that the actor’s Marvel contract would prevent him from starring in a DC Comics adaptation, since he would likely return in anAnt-Mansequel. There is talk that a trilogy is being planned, which would lock the actor up for several movies and prevent him from starring in any potentialSuicide Squadfollow-ups.

There are only a handful of actors who have played both Marvel and DC characters, most notablyBen Affleck(Daredeviland Batman inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) andRyan Reynolds(Green LanternandDeadpool), but none of those Marvel movies were controlled by Marvel Studios. At any rate,Michael Penais still keeping busy, with upcoming moviesThe Vatican Tapes,VacationandThe Martianhitting theaters later this year. Do you thinkMichael Penawould have been a good fit forSuicide Squad?