With officially less than a year remaining, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is a highly anticipated sequel to the first full-length film, Suicide Squad.
The standalone follow-up to Suicide Squad, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad (what fans are referring to unofficially as Suicide Squad 2) is scheduled for release on August 6, 2021. James Gunn, whose previous creative endeavors include Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, is well known for his superhero acumen and larger-than-life imagination.
Hardcore DC fans were privileged to witness a behind-the-scenes trailer firsthand at a virtual DC FanDome event held in August 2020. In the trailer, James Gunn commented on the finished product by saying, “It’s gonna be different from any superhero movie ever made.”
Rallying together a group of roguish superheroes, The Suicide Squad is bringing back familiar faces and introducing new ones. Since FanDome, forums and fan sites have been buzzing with speculation about the new instalment’s level of action and updated cast.
Gunn’s unique interpretation of DC’s Suicide Squad series is highly anticipated as fans everywhere count the months until August 2021. The beloved character with an evil twist, Harley Quinn, will continue to be represented by Margot Robbie. Other returning characters include Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag.
Although The Suicide Squad will not feature a return of Will Smith’s character Deadshot or Jared Leto’s psychopathic version of the Joker, Gunn assures moviegoers the film will be action-packed and bloodier than David Ayer’s 2016 version. Starring alongside existing cast members will be John Cena as Peacemaker, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, and FX hit Queen of the South’s Alice Braga as Sol Soria.
There has been some question as to what will happen with John Cena’s Peacemaker character in the film. Working with James Gunn, John Cena will be getting his own 8-episode HBOMax series, but the character could potentially be killed off in The Suicide Squad first. James Gunn is working with Cena on the HBOMax series as the writer of each episode and the director of several.
The fact that the two are working together on this series has been looked on as a sort of spoiler for the film, as fans assume that the Peacemaker will not be killed if he is going to have an upcoming tv show. This may not necessarily be the case, however, as the Peacemaker series could tell a story that acts as a sort of prequel to the studio film.
In some of the latest news on The Suicide Squad, Gunn had to respond to a comment from a fan regarding Harley Quinn. The fan’s Instagram post was not subtle in its implication that Gunn must be “pissed the studio is forcing Harley” into his movie. The comment was meant to suggest that the studio merely wanted Harley Quinn in the film to attract box office sales from mainstream audiences.
James Gunn didn’t waste any time replying to the comment and defending the character, as well as Margot Robbie’s talent. He responded, “GTFO, she’s probably my favorite DC character, and Margot Robbie is probably the best actor I’ve worked with, bar none.”
Since Gunn was given complete creative control over the film, he was able to put any of the characters he wanted in the latest production. Margot Robbie is a rising star, and her return to The Suicide Squad will be her third box office performance after Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), which was released in 2020.
During the FanDome trailer, James Gunn confirmed the characters of The Suicide Squad will remain loveably unorthodox as superhero movies go. “Within each of our characters, there’s a certain beauty. Within most of them, some of them are just pretty crappy through and through,” says James.
Suicide Squad 2, as Gunn’s version is unofficially called, is described as gritty and full of action, suspense, and thrill. Commenting on the opportunity to write and direct this much-anticipated film, James Gunn stated, “I was excited with an opportunity to be able to do The Suicide Squad in the way it could be done from my point of view.”
And his point of view is certainly unique. James Gunn started his directing career with the 2006 horror/comedy Slither which is set in a small South Carolina town that becomes invaded with an alien presence. The film has become a cult classic that casually pokes fun at traditional horror films offering viewers a combination of extraterrestrial fright and hearty chuckles.
Since completing his work on The Suicide Squad, James Gunn has been focused on his work developing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which, although a release date has not been announced, is expected to debut in late 2021 or early 2022. For now, James Gunn and fans of DC Extended Universe storylines anxiously await The Suicide Squad’s theater debut.
(Syndicated Content)
