The sort-of-sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad has taken another step forward this week.
As previously reported, ousted Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn has found a new home at DC/Warner Bros., writing and directing the new Suicide Squad movie after being fired from the Disney/Marvel stable over old Tweets that resurfaced online last year. Gunn had apologised for the Tweets some time ago, but that still didn’t wash at the mouse house, so now he’s moved on to this new project.
THR confirms that Suicide Squad 2, now called The Suicide Squad, will actually be less of a sequel than a ‘relaunch’ of the comic book story, which depicts the villainous DC team doing odd jobs for the government. This makes sense, as it will allow Gunn to put his own stamp on the film, perhaps the type of stamp that launched the little-known Guardians team into the stratosphere over at Marvel, where he found success turning a bunch of criminals into heroes with unexpected ease.
The site also adds that sources have told them that Gunn is going to “take the franchise in a new direction with a mostly all-new cast of characters and actors” so it’s unclear whether we’ll see the stars of David Ayer’s first film return to their roles for this project, but we’d be incredibly surprised if Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn doesn’t make an appearance. Warner Bros. has just started production on Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) this month, so there appears to be an ongoing commitment to her character.
Regardless, Warner Bros. has selected an August 2021 release for The Suicide Squad.