Frank Grillo Gives Rundown on His Character Rick Flag Sr.'s DCU Journey

Frank Grillo seems to have wrapped up his run in the MCU, where he played Brock Rumlow, for now, but that has given way to what will seemingly be a long stint in the DCU. He has signed on to play Rick Flag Sr. in James Gunn’s new world of DC, and that kicks off with Creature Commandos, which will hit our screens on December 5th on MAX.

The adult animation series is primed to kick off the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters saga with a whole crew of deadly creatures on a task force led by Rick Flag Sr., which as the character who the actor likens to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury.

In an interview with Collider, Grillo gave a rundown of his character throughout this first chapter of the DCU. He talked about his "very crucial role" in Peacemaker Season 2, his experience collaborating with Gunn on Creature Commandos, and teased what it's like on the set of Superman and the physical presence of David Corenswet, who Grillo deems a rising "superstar."

Grillo said of Rick Flag Sr.’s role in the DCU:

“I get a little bit of a Sam Jackson vibe. It's that kind of thing where he can swing through for a little bit, like in Superman, and have a critical, pivotal role, and then a bigger role, certainly, in Peacemaker, a very crucial role, and then is the leader of the team on Creature Commandos. So, yeah, I don't know what the future holds, but I think Rick Flag is kind of the head of ARGUS, like the MCU with Jackson. I mean, you never know. It's kind of endless.”

He went on to talk about reading the Creature Commandos scripts, and working with James Gunn:

“I'll tell you, he and Peter sent me all the scripts — I read them in a day, and then I read them again. I wish I could send you the texts that I sent them because I read lots of scripts. I'm not getting scripts from, like, Steven Zailllian and the top guys in Hollywood, so when they sent me these scripts, I was like, ‘Holy shit.’ My thoughts were exactly yours. It's funny, it's dirty, sometimes it's filthy dirty, it's violent, and it's of the time. I was blown away. I wish I could send you the texts. I must have sent them a half-dozen texts, going, ‘Guys. Fellas… Gunn, this is brilliant.’ I think it's brilliant. For what it is, it is brilliant.”

“I've come to learn that he is breathing very thin air. He's an outlier. I mean, James Gunn is a brilliant writer, and he's so much fun to work with. I read his words, and I'm like, ‘I don't need to change any of this.’ A few times I've said to him, during Peacemaker, ‘Hey, brother, what if I do this? Is it okay?’ And he goes, ‘Hmm, try it and let me know.’ And sure as hell, 10 out of 10 times I've tried my little fix, and I'm like, ‘Nope. He knows exactly what he's doing.’ Rare.”

He also briefly talked about Peacemaker Season 2, and going up against John Cena:

“I've always fought guys bigger than me, but he's a big dude. He is a big dude. We do get into it — I'm not going to give anything away. It's an interesting thing about Peacemaker and his perspective about my son and what his feelings are about himself because of that. So, we did get into some tangles, but I don't know that people are going to expect what's to happen.”

He also talked about what it was like to be on the set of Superman:

“I wasn't a superhero kid. I wasn't a comic book kid, but the one superhero — and I'm talking about from the TV show, the original TV show — was Superman. To me, he's the ultimate and only superhero, second to maybe no one, and a long distance from that is Batman, right? Those are the two superheroes I grew up with. But to step on set and to know Gunn was at the helm, even in the capacity that I was working, was a gift. And I'll tell you something — I hope I don't get in trouble for this — I got a sneak peek at a little bit of the trailer, and I'm not joking, and I'm not blowing this out of proportion, my skin was hot and I had goosebumps. That's how great it is. By the way, this kid, David [Corenswet], is going to be a superstar. A superstar. He's amazing, as is the rest of the cast in the film, and just James’ take on it. I think it's gonna be the movie.”

We have a lot to look forward to from James Gunn’s DCU. Stay tuned for more info on all the cool movies and shows he has coming our way.