Last week rumors surfaced online of Marvel Studios potentially having an interest in having the cyborg assassin Deathlok in a future movie property. Beings that the character already exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to Marvel TV’s Agents of SHIELD, fans instantly started lobbying for Agents of SHIELD star J. August Richards to reprise the role on the silver screen.
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ComicBook.com had the chance to speak with Richards on the new digital media movement and what it means to him as an actor for the masses to back him up in this new cause. Right out of the gate, Richards admits he was just as surprised as the rest of fandom when a rumor of that magnitude surfaced.
“It was a huge surprise. I was looking at my cell phone,” Richards reflects. “I may have been at the gym, and when I saw the headline, Deathlok, Deathstroke, Bloodshot. Five characters with similar names, I laughed because I’ve always been trying to come up with a witty tweet that included all of those names.”
Richards says that before long, he got to the line in the initial report about the Deathlok to Marvel Studios rumors and was floored at the possibility. The actor is thankful to be included in the same piece with the likes of Will Smiths and Ryan Reynolds, saying it was a honor.
“Then, obviously I got to the line about Deathlok being introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and of course I got excited to a degree because I love playing the character,” says Richards. “And I feel so connected to the character that the idea of the character continuing obviously was really exciting to me.”
The Agents of SHIELD star admits that he’s fully aware of the logistics of Marvel’s television actors appearing in films from Marvel Studios. In fact, a character that’s started on a Marvel television property has yet to appear in the movies, so the Deathlok move really would be unprecedented — a fact the actor has previously pointed out on Twitter. Regardless, Richards is thankful for all of the fans that have flocked to his side in the past few days.
“I have to say though, that obviously right after I read the Deadline article, I tweeted, ‘Hey Marvel, I’m ready to suit up at anytime,’” Richards says. “I was really touched by how the fans were so aware of the fact a lot of times the actor from television doesn’t necessarily get to do it in movies, and they actually were the ones who started the idea of the continuity of me playing the role.”
“I was really touched, and honestly really humbled by the amount of people that advocated for me to continue playing the part. They actually started the hashtag #RichardsForDeathlok. That was really so surprising, so I was really thankful for that.”
Agents of SHIELD Season 6 premieres May 10th.
Are you wanting to see Deathlok in one of the Marvel Studios films? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or join the conversation online by hitting me up on Twitter at @AdamBarnhardt!
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