According to actor Frank Grillo, though he still looks back fondly on his time as Marvel’s live-action incarnation of the villain Crossbones, their decision to relegate his role to that of a bit player in the overall franchise has left him with no qualms about his decision to take on a new superhero role at the competing DC Studios.
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Grillo, who portrayed the sadistic Brock ‘Crossbones’ Rumlow across both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War before being self-destructing via explosive vest following his capture in the latter, opened up about his departure from the MCU during a January 12th interview given to Moviefone’s Jami Phillbrick.
Amidst a larger discussion regarding his new action film Lights Out, the actor was at one point asked by Phillbrick if he could provide an update on his upcoming role as Rick Flag Sr. in James Gunn’s animated Creature Commandos series for DC, specifically whether or not he had already “finished recording for the first season” and if he had been “able to record with the other actors”.
In reply, Grillo asserted, “Yes. I recorded with [Frankenstein voice actor David] Harbour and I may have recorded with Maria [Bakalova, who voices Princess Illana Rostovic]. But it’s great. I love James Gunn and Peter Safran and what they’re doing at DC and for the DCU, and these characters are living in all their movies.”
“I’m going to be around for a while, and I wish I could tell you what I have coming up with them, but I can’t,” he added. “But it’s exciting.”
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Ostensibly turned to the subject thanks to this mention of his planned longevity at DC, Grillo then turned to reflect on his feelings towards Marvel Studios.
“I was just with the Russo Brothers, Kevin Feige and Lou D’Esposito,” recalled the short-lived MCU villain. “And it’s kind of like, ‘I miss those guys, but you blew it.’ Now we’re going over here.”
Providing further evidence that he feels happier in his new home at DC than he did at Marvel, when pressed by Phillbrick if he knew, in light of Gunn’s plans to interconnect the entirety of the new DCEU, “when your character will appear in live-action”, Grillo beamed, “Yes, I do.”
“Again, in a world filled with great talent, actors and famous movie stars, I mean what James Gunn and Peter Safran has entrusted in me with this character and with the future of what they’re doing in that company,” the actor graciously concluded. “I’m humbled.”
To this end, while he could not outright confirm where his incarnation of Rick Flag Sr. would first make his live-action debut, he did note that. much to his own personal lament, it would not be the already-heavily-rostered Superman: Legacy.
As of writing, the Gunn-helmed Creature Commandos series is currently on track to begin haunting audiences sometime in 2024.
Meanwhile, Grillo’s aforementioned Lights Out, in which he plays a homeless military vet who finds himself embroiled in an underground fighting ring, is available for purchase from digital retailers beginning February16th.