Suicide Squad stars Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Will Smith, Jared Leto

IT’S the toughest job in Hollywood - signing on to replace Heath Ledger in his iconic film role as the Joker. Which heart throb just took the plunge, and is he up to the task?

The Australian 50th - 2008

MARGOT Robbie and Jai Courtney have landed roles in the next supervillain movie from Warner Bros, inspired by one of DC’s famous comics.

The Australian actors will star in the film alongside Jared Leto, Will Smith, Tom Hardy and Cara Delevingne, Variety.com reports.

Based on the DC comic book, the Suicide Squad is a team of imprisoned super villains who perform high-risk missions for the US government. They are formally known as Task Force X. The team’s actions are highly classified, and the government is able to deny any involvement by claiming that they are not responsible for the damages of a random super villain attack.

Leto is playing The Joker, while Smith is down to play Deadshot, the familiar enemy of Batman in DC comic books.

Hardy will star as Rick Flag, who leads the Suicide Squadron, and Robbie has the role of Harley Quinn. Her character is a frequent accomplice and girlfriend of Batman’s nemesis The Joker, and is also close to the supervillain Poison Ivy, who gave her immunity to poisons and toxins.

The Joker ... actor Jared Leto. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Boomerang ... actor Jai Courtney. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Courtney will play Boomerang, a super villain traditionally portrayed as an enemy of the Flash. Delevingne has been cast as Enchantress, who has appeared in DC comics as a super heroine and super villainess.

Directed by David Ayer and produced by Charles Roven and Richard Suckle, it will begin shooting next April in Toronto and be released on August 5, 2016.

Enchantress ... English fashion model Cara Delevingne. Picture: AFP

Deadshot ... actor Will Smith. Picture: Chris Pizzello/AP

Variety.com reports Jesse Eisenberg is also in talks to play Lex Luthor. He is already playing the role of Luthor in Ben Affleck’s upcoming film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

“The Warner Bros. roots are deep on this one,” Warner Bros. president Greg Silverman said in a statement.

“We look forward to seeing this terrific ensemble, under David Ayer’s amazing guidance, give new meaning to what it means to be a villain and what it means to be a hero.”

Originally published as Suicide Squad stars Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Will Smith, Jared Leto