Will Smith, Tom Hardy, Jared Leto to suit up for ‘Suicide Squad’

It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it: Will Smith, Tom Hardy, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevingne have signed on to star in writer-director David Ayer’s comic-book movie “Suicide Squad,” Warner Bros. announced Tuesday.

Set for release Aug. 5, 2016, the movie is based on the DC book about a team of supervillains who do dirty work for the government in exchange for commuted sentences.

Smith will play the assassin Deadshot, Hardy will play rogue soldier Rick Flagg, Leto will play the Joker, Robbie will play his on-and-off girlfriend Harley Quinn, Courtney will play Boomerang (a guy who throws boomerangs), and Delevingne will play the spellcaster Enchantress.

The star-studded cast features a pair of superhero-movie veterans in Smith (“Hancock”) and Hardy (“The Dark Knight Rises”), an action alum in Courtney (“A Good Day to Die Hard,” “Terminator: Genisys”), and a reigning Oscar winner in Leto (“Dallas Buyers Club”).

“Suicide Squad” will also serve as a reunion for Smith and Robbie, who co-star in Warner’s upcoming movie “Focus.”

Ayer, whose films as a writer and/or director include “Training Day,” “End of Watch” and “Fury,” has often gravitated toward gritty explorations of the relationships forged during life-and-death situations.

Warner first announced “Suicide Squad” in October as part of an ambitious slate of superhero movies based on DC properties scheduled through 2020.

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