The Suicide Squad, the 2021 version, is about a gang of the most dangerously deranged killers in the world. A badass government agent who’s willing to do anything and manipulate anyone to complete her mission. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. What more could we ask for? This August, The Suicide Squad will hit theaters like a bomb went off. While not a sequel or a remake according to director James Gunn, The Suicide Squad will see a few of our favorite DC characters (Harley, Captain Boomerang, Rick Flag) team up with a whole new pile of crazy. Their mission? Save the world, or die trying.
‘The Suicide Squad’ Movie Poster
Amanda Waller, (Viola Davis) is a government agent who lives by an action first, apologies later, code of ethics. She seeks a team of the most treacherous and unstable criminals in the world to achieve a mission that seems to be, well, suicide. Trapped in the super-secret maximum security prison Belle Reve, with nothing to do but wait for death, unsurprisingly the promise of ten years off their sentence encourages even the most reticent criminals to join Waller’s cause. Their mission, if they choose to accept it – is to gather an unstoppable team, fill up on firepower, and fight their way through the dangerous jungles of Corto Maltese – an island covered in enemies of all kinds. If their mission doesn’t kill them first, one breach of the rules and Waller’s embedded kill chips will. Remember, teamwork makes the Dreamwork!
THE SUICIDE SQUAD – Heavy Rain Scene
The Suicide Squad, according to Warner Bro’s and James Gunn, is not a remake or reboot of the original movie, nor is it a sequel. Characters that have already met, (think Harley and Rick Flag or Amanda Waller) will retain their relationships in the movie as well as meeting new characters and enemies. Some big names are joining the squad this time around, including John Cena (Bumblebee) as Peacemaker, Sylvester Stalone (Rocky) as King Shark, David Dastmalchian (Dune) as the Polka Dot Man, Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who) as Gaius Grieves/The Thinker, and Taika Waititi (Thor, What We Do In the Shadows) as Ratcatcher. Noticeably missing from the cast is Jared Leto’s (Dallas Buyers Club) Joker, who we saw in the 2016 film but will not be making an appearance in the new one. Though you can catch him at the end of Zach Snyder’s Justice League (2021) if you’re missing him.
The Suicide Squad (2021), will be the second movie bearing that title to be released under Warner Brothers and using existing DC characters. While the original Suicide Squad (2016) was released to low to extremely negative reviews, Rotten Tomatoes is scoring director James Gunn’s film at 97% at the time of this article.
It seems that this year’s The Suicide Squad will follow the same pattern as Warner Bro’s and the DC universes Justice League (2017 & 2021) with a low-scoring and negatively reviewed first movie and a popular and well-reviewed second. Somewhat ironically, both Zach Snyder and his wife Deborah Snyder are both executive producers on The Suicide Squad (2021).
On July 29th, 2021, David Ayer – the original director of Suicide Squad (2016), wrote an open letter discussing his initial cut of the 2016 film, and praising new director James Gunn, for his work on the current movie. He condemned the studio cut of the original movie and described his own director’s cut as “something amazing – My cut is an intricate and emotional journey. (Shanfeld, Ayer, 2021).” Ayer’s letter concluded with a commendation of James Gunn’s new film, his hopes for the franchise’s future, and a statement that he will no longer speak publicly on this matter.
Following this, #ReleaseTheAyerCut began trending on Twitter. Similar to the push for #ReleaseTheSnyderCut that prompted Warner Brothers to finish and release Zach Snyder’s original vision of the Justice League film. Will director James Gunn’s new movie be enough to rebrand and revive The Suicide Squad from its somewhat dismal beginnings? Or should we take up the hashtag and fight for Ayer’s version?
As a fan, I’m just excited to see Idris Elba as Bloodsport (I know you’re with me ladies) and find out where Harley’s story has taken her since Birds of Prey (2020), not to mention…the giant starfish? If you know, you know.
The Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn and packed with a star-studded cast, releases on August 6th in theaters and on HBO Max.
