The original Suicide Squad by David Ayer has a complicated history to say the least. The film was rushed through development, was changed several times mid-production, and was torn to shreds by the critics upon its release in 2016. Despite all those problems, however, the movie managed to be a major success and make nearly $750 million worldwide. It should hardly be a surprise that DC Comics and Warner Brothers have begun development on Suicide Squad 2.
There was a lot of confusion about the sequel and if it would even happen, but now we’ve found out a number of important details about the movie; we know who is writing it and who may be directing the movie, which has been given the title The Suicide Squad. We’ve also got a release date for the movie and some details on how the studio views the movie, along with plenty of other tidbits to get you hyped for this new movie. We’ll be addressing all of those things and more with our guide to everything we know – so far – about Suicide Squad 2. Keep on reading to learn all of these juicy details for yourself!
What is The Release Date for The Suicide Squad?
It’s become traditional for a major movie franchise to announce their planned releases for up to the next five years. Doing so worked great for Marvel, but it’s not done so well for the DC Extended Universe. That’s why te only blockbuster being developed with an actual release date was Aquaman, which dominated the box office when it was released on December 21, 2018, and Shazam!, which was itself released in April. It became a commercial success itself, garnering over $364 million worldwide. With that said, The Suicide Squad is expected to be released into theaters on August 6, 2021. The movie is set to release alongside other interesting DC movies in 2021.
Warner Bros. and DC have built a reputation for announcing new projects in development without offering any hints as to when those projects will begin filming, or when they’ll be released into the wild. This changed in January when The Suicide Squad was announced alongside another anticipated DC project The Batman by Matt Reeves. The Batman is due for release on June 25th 2021. Alongside these two movies, DC also announced DC Super Pets for May 21, 2021. While it looked like Suicide Squad 2 might have gotten a 2019 release date at first, and two years may sound like a long time, there are reasons to be happy about the delay. We’ll get into that in a minute.
What is the Rating for The Suicide Squad?
Films such as Deadpool and Logan have done wonders for changing how the ratings of superhero movies are viewed. While many thought that they had to be PG-13 in order to bring in the teenagers, these movies have shown that it’s entirely possible to make a boatload of money by appealing to the adult demographic. This is a development that DC have already taken advantage of with the wider DC Extended Universe. It’s therefore highly possible that The Suicide Squad will have the same rating as the original movie, but there is no confirmed answer on what the movie will be rated just yet.
Before Suicide Squad was released in 2016, writer/director David Ayer said to reporters that an R-rated Suicide Squad 2 was an idea that he felt was worth “lobbying for”. With the right people at the helm, it’s possible this is still the idea. With that said, Ayer isn’t the one making the movie. Perhaps the new person managing The Suicide Squad may think it would be wrong to make an R-rated movie. We won’t know much more until the movie is further along the development cycle. That question about who is directing the movie takes us perfectly to the next section…
Who is Writing and Directing The Suicide Squad?
The question of who would be directing The Suicide Squad was a tricky one to answer until recently. The movie was chugging along without a guiding hand. Given how successful the first movie was, you’d think that Warner Bros. would want to bring back David Ayer to work his magic again, but he’s currently busy with another project for DC Comics and so can’t take the job on. Warner Bros. finally assigned the movie a director in September 2017 when they announced Gavin O’Conner of The Accountant would be writing and directing the new blockbuster.
This wasn’t to be the end of the saga of The Suicide Squad’s writer and director though. It was later announced in October 2018 that James Gunn was hired to write the film. The latest word – from January 2019 – is that he will also be directing the movie. This news came as a surprise to superhero fans because Gunn had been fired by Marvel in summer 2018 (after finishing the script for Guardians of the Galaxy 3) when offensive tweets he made in the past were brought to light. For now, at least, The Suicide Squad is under the guidance of a man with great creative visions.
What’s the Story for The Suicide Squad?
It’s too early to say anything for sure about the story of The Suicide Squad. When the release date for the movie was announced though, we were treated to some information that tells us the movie could be vastly different to the original one. The Hollywood Reporter say that the studio see the movie as less of a sequel and more of a relaunch. They believe Gunn will take the series into a new direction with – if he wants – a new selection of characters.
Of course, the idea of a rag tag group of misfits – which is what the Suicide Squad is – matches up perfectly with James Gunn’s aesthetic. There was also one time when he was very interested in making a Thunderbolts movie for Marvel, but the idea was abandoned quickly after Suicide Squad became a thing given the similarities between the two franchises. No matter what Gunn decides he wants the story to be though, it’s likely going to be more intriguing and fun than the original movie.
Deadshot
With the star power that Will Smith commands, there was talk of a Deadshot spin-off movie with him almost as soon as Suicide Squad was released in 2016. However, when DC and Warner Bros. announced their plans for new movies at San Diego Comic-Con in 2017, a Deadshot spinoff was not part of those plans. It was likely that the next time the world saw the sharpshooter would be in the sequel for Suicide Squad. That said, that might not be so true after all.
It was reported in late February of 2019 that Will Smith would not be able to reprise his role as Deadshot for The Suicide Squad due to scheduling conflicts. We are sure that any split between Smith and Warner Bros. was amicable though, and there’s every chance he could be in a later project should the opportunity arise.
Harley Quinn
While the original Suicide Squad divided audiences like no movie before it, one thing everyone agreed on was that Margot Robbie did a fantastic job as Harley Quinn. Her appearance in the movie didn’t make a whole lot of sense from a story perspective (she was included due to her connection to The Joker, who himself was not part of the actual mission), but Robbie did such a great job that one could overlook that. As entertaining as her performance in the original was, there’s no real guarantee that Harley Quinn, or indeed Margot Robbie, will be returning for The Suicide Squad.
We’ve heard some rumblings that Warner Bros. are interested in putting together a trilogy of movies built around Harley Quinn. While The Suicide Squad could easily be one of those movies, there are a range of other movies being worked on that could feature Harley Quinn. One reason that David Ayer isn’t returning to direct Suicide Squad 2 is that he’s actively involved in the development of Gotham City Sirens. If the movie comes goes ahead as planned, the DC Extended Universe may see it fit to pair Harley Quick up with Catwoman and Poison Ivy rather than putting her back in the Suicide Squad. The character’s next appearance is set to be Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) which began filming back in January. There are also reports of a Joker and Harley Quinn movie. Nothing is completely set in stone though, and there’s every chance Harley Quinn will return for The Suicide Squad, but the question is still up in the air.
The Joker
As uncertain as the future of Harley Quinn might be, it’s nothing compared to Jared Leto’s The Joker. Jared Leto became infamous for acting like a complete nutcase during filming (which was in character of course) and not only was his performance torn to shreds by the critics, but Leto himself was outspoken about the final theatrical cut of the movie. As such, we can’t say for sure whether or not he’ll be in the franchise ever again, never mind The Suicide Squad.
Whether The Joker appears or not could be connected to the potential return of Harley Quinn. If DC decides to use her for Birds of Prey and Gotham City Sirens – but not Suicide Squad 2 – then there’s a good chance they won’t bother bringing back The Clown Prince of Crime The Joker. Another potential obstacle standing in the way of Leto reprising his role as The Joker is that he is set to appear in the Spiderman movie Morbius The Living Vampire, which appears to be moving forward at full steam. Only time can tell what will happen to The Joker for Suicide Squad 2.
Killer Croc
Killer Croc – portrayed by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje – was a central character for the original Suicide Squad movie. Even so, we didn’t learn much about the character. We do know that he likes to live underwater, survives on a diet of raw meat and flesh, has lizard-like skin, and enjoys watching BET, but that’s about all the DC Extended Universe gave us on the character. We do hope that he makes an appearance in Suicide Squad 2 and that, should it happen, DC delves into his backstory more.
In terms of special effects, it was cool to see such a strange looking character like Killer Croc be brought to life in Suicide Squad, but it was fair to be disappointed by the total lack of characterization. The character has a rich history in DC Comics, primarily as one of Batman’s antagonists. If James Gunn decides to go ahead and use the character, he’s sure to find a way to take advantage of the character for more than just his swimming ability.
Captain Boomerang
While Killer Croc and Deadshot came away from the suicide mission with some perks, Captain Boomerang – portrayed by Jai Courtney – got royally screwed over. Thanks to his continuous attempts to escape, the Australian thief doesn’t get the TV and espresso machine he was promised. Rather he gets “rewarded” with a trip to solitary confinement where he is under constant surveillance by an armed guard. Sometimes karma really is a bitch.
Captain Boomerang is a staple of the Suicide Squad comics. Considering the character was a bright spot in the first movie, we expect he’d come back for Suicide Squad 2. Even so, there are no guarantees that he’ll definitely be there. We also don’t know what kind of shape he might be in. The last time the world saw Captain Boomerang he was making jokes and being offensive, but perhaps some time in the slammer will cool him down a bit.
Katana
Assuming that Katana does make a comeback for the second movie, she’s going to need a serious redemption arc. While Karen Fukuhara looked incredible in the role, she didn’t do a whole lot other than swing a sword and be the target of exposition for other characters. We can’t even remember if she had any lines. Her legacy from the original comics deserves much more than this, and we hope the sequel can deliver on that legacy.
In the DC Extended Universe, Katan is not a rehabilitating prisoner but is instead an associate of Rick Flag who was asked to join in with the mission. Given how flimsy that set up is, even Gunn might have trouble making her a natural part of the team for Suicide Squad 2. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be impossible though. With that said, its also possible that she might not even be a part of the sequel.
Rick Flag
The last the world saw him, Rick Flag (played by Joel Kinnaman) was the true leader of the Suicide Squad. He was the mortal soldier who controlled supervillains. Not that things worked out as planned for him. The guy basically screwed up everything by getting emotional about Dr June Moone (Cara Delevigne), which led to him letting the Enchantress go wild. The guy didn’t do so well, so we’re not sure if he’ll be coming back to head up the squad in Suicide Squad 2.
Given that the Suicide Squad is meant to be a representative of the government, it would make sense if they were led by someone who wasn’t criminally insane. The job doesn’t necessarily need to go to Rick Flag though. In fact, it would probably make more sense for the DC Extended Universe as a whole if it didn’t. Even should Rick Flag not have a major part to play in the sequel though, we do hope that Suicide Squad 2 gives us some idea of what happened ot the character. Joel Kinnamon, for his part, seems confident that he’ll have a role to play in the project. We’ll just need to wait and see what happens.
Amanda Walker
Amanda Walker is one of the toughest people in all of DC comics, and Viola Davis did a fantastic job portraying that in the original Suicide Squad. Not only does Amanda have a clear idea of what she wants out of life, but she’s also willing to go to some incredible lengths to get the job done. Perhaps most importantly though, she rules the Suicide Squad with an iron thumb. It’s easy to see why we expect she’ll be coming back for Suicide Squad 2.
Admittedly the job didn’t go as expected for Amanda Walker’s first command in Suicide Squad, but if anyone could convince the higher ups she deserves another chance it would be Amanda. One could assume that she will once again be put in charge of leading the team, putting it together, and assigning them their mission.
