This article is about the 2016 film.
- For the 2021 standalone sequel see The Suicide Squad.
Suicide Squad is a 2016 American superhero film based on the DC Comics supervillain team of the same name, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the third instalment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is written and directed by David Ayer and stars an ensemble cast featuring Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, and Cara Delevingne. In Suicide Squad, a secret government agency led by Amanda Waller recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions and save the world from a powerful threat, in exchange for reduced sentences.
Plot[]
In the aftermath of Superman's death,[N 1] intelligence officer Amanda Waller convinces Washington D.C. officials to allow her to assemble Task Force X, a team of dangerous criminals imprisoned at Belle Reve Special Security Barracks. The team consists of elite hitman Floyd Lawton, former psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel, pyrokinetic ex-gangster Chato Santana, opportunistic thief Digger Harkness, genetic mutant Waylon Jones, and specialized assassin Christopher Weiss. They are placed under command of Colonel Rick Flag to be used as disposable assets in high-risk missions for the United States government. Each member has a nanite bomb implanted in their neck, designed to detonate should any member rebel or try to escape.
One of Waller's intended recruits is Flag's girlfriend Dr. June Moone, an archaeologist possessed by a demonic witch known as the "Enchantress". She quickly turns on Waller, deciding to eradicate humankind with a mystical weapon for imprisoning her. She besieges Midway City by transforming its populace into a horde of monsters, and summons her brother Incubus to assist her. Waller then deploys the squad to extract a high-profile mark from Midway, which is reported to be under a terrorist attack. Joining them is Katana, a Japanese swordswoman.
Harley's homicidal lover Joker finds out about her predicament and tortures Belle Reve security officer Griggs into leading him to the facility where the nanite bombs are made. There, he blackmails Dr. Van Criss into disabling Harley's bomb. Upon arrival, the squad's helicopter is shot down, forcing them to proceed on foot to their target. Boomerang inaccurately convinces Slipknot that the bombs are a ruse to keep them in check, who attempts to escape and is killed. Meanwhile, the squad is ambushed by Enchantress' minions. They eventually fight their way through to a safe house, where they learn that their mark is Waller herself, who is attempting to cover up her involvement in Enchantress' siege.
The squad escorts Waller to the rooftop for extraction, but the arriving helicopter has been hijacked by the Joker and his men, who open fire on the squad. Harley's bomb is disarmed by Dr. Van Criss, leaving Flag unable to execute her and allows her to climb aboard the helicopter. Waller's men subsequently shoot down the helicopter, and Harley falls out while the Joker is presumed dead, after which Harley rejoins the squad. Alerted to Waller's whereabouts, Enchantress' minions arrive and kidnap her. Deadshot finds Waller's confidential files and learns the truth about Enchantress, Flag then being forced to confess the truth. This causes the squad members to abandon him. With Waller compromised, Flag relieves the squad of the mission but chooses to continue. Realizing they have an opportunity to prove themselves, they soon rejoin him and locate Enchantress at a partially-flooded subway station. Killer Croc and a group of Navy SEALs, led by Lieutenant GQ Edwards, go underwater to plant a bomb underneath Incubus. El Diablo embraces his abilities and distracts Incubus long enough for the bomb to detonate underneath, killing them both as well as Edwards.
The remaining squad members battle Enchantress together but are ultimately defeated. Enchantress offers to fulfill their deepest desires in exchange for their allegiance, and Harley feigns interest in order to get close enough to cut out Enchantress' heart. Killer Croc then throws explosives into Enchantress' weapon and Deadshot shoots them, destroying the device. Flag takes Enchantress' heart and crushes it, finally freeing June from the curse. Waller, still alive, emerges, and the squad members are returned to Belle Reve with ten years off their sentences. All but Captain Boomerang are allowed special privileges. The Joker, alive and unscathed, breaks into the penitentiary and rescues Harley. In a mid-credits scene, Waller meets with Bruce Wayne, who agrees to protect her from the backlash against her role in Enchantress' rampage in exchange for access to the government's files on the expanding metahuman community while telling her to shut down Task Force X or else he and his "friends" will do it.
Cast[]
- Will Smith as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot
- Jared Leto as Joker
- Margot Robbie as Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn
- Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag
- Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
- Jai Courtney as Digger Harkness/Captain Boomerang
- Jay Hernandez as Chato Santana/El Diablo
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Waylon Jones/Killer Croc
- Cara Delevingne as June Moone/Enchantress
- Ike Barinholtz as Captain Hunter Griggs
- Scott Eastwood as GQ Edwards
- Adam Beach as Christopher Weiss/Slipknot
- Common as Monster T
- Karen Fukuhara as Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana
- David Harbour as Dexter Tolliver
- Jim Parrack as Jonny Frost
- Alex Meraz as Gomez
- Corina Calderon as Grace Santana
- Ted Whittall as Admiral Olsen
- Robin Atkin Downes as Angelo
- Shailyn Pierre-Dixon as Zoe Lawton
- Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/Flash
- Alain Chanoine as Incubus/Gerard Davis
- Matt Baram as Dr. Van Criss
- Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman (uncredited)
Extended Cut & Ayer Cut[]
Extended Cut[]
An extended cut of the film is included in the home entertainment release, containing roughly thirteen minutes of footage absent from the theatrical version.
David Ayer's Suicide Squad[]
Main article: David Ayer’s Suicide Squad
David Ayer's Suicide Squad (unofficial title) is the director's original cut of Suicide Squad. There's no official plan to release it at the moment, but David Ayer confirmed there's only some VFX work to complete in order to finish his vision, which makes it a possibility for an HBO Max release.
Sequel & Spin-Offs[]
Birds of Prey[]
The film features Quinn, who after being left by the Joker, teams up with other antiheroes to protect Cassandra Cain from Gotham City crime boss Roman Sionis / Black Mask. Cathy Yan serves as director, with a script by Christina Hodson. Principal photography lasted from January through April 2019.[194][195] The film was released on February 7, 2020 to positive reviews from critics.
The Suicide Squad[]
Suicide Squad will be followed by a sequel: The Suicide Squad which was released on August 6, 2021 to positive reviews from critics.
Television Series[]
Peacemaker[]
A television series titled Peacemaker starring John Cena as the title character was released in 2022 on HBO Max it was renewed for a second season.
Waller[]
A television series titled Waller starring Viola Davis as the title character is in development and it will take place between the first and second seasons of Peacemaker.
Cancelled Films[]
Gotham City Sirens[]
Main article: Gotham City Sirens
Gotham City Sirens will be directed by David Ayer, with a script from Geneva Robertson-Dworet.[150] The project was originally scheduled to begin production mid-2017, though the film was delayed due to the production team's busy schedules on other projects,[150] and in favor of Birds of Prey.[197][198] Despite the project's delay, Ayer has continued to work on developing the film.[199][200]
Deadshot[]
Main article: Deadshot
In December 2016, a film centered around Floyd Lawton / Deadshot was announced in development.[201] As of 2020, no other reports on the film have been released.
Joker[]
Main article: Joker (DCEU film)
In June 2018, Variety reported that Leto would reprise his role as Joker for his own solo movie as well as serve as executive producer for the film while also hiring its production crew.[202] As of 2020, no other reports of the film have been released, possibly also because of the 2019 standalone film Joker, which was meanwhile released.
Harley Quinn vs. The Joker[]
Main article : Harley Quinn vs. The Joker
The untitled Harley Quinn and the Joker film was announced, with filmmaking duo Glenn Ficarra and John Requa attached as co-writers/-directors/-producers.[203] By October 2018 the script was completed, and though the project was originally intended to begin production immediately after The Suicide Squad, the filmmakers have since stated that production would begin once filming on Birds of Prey has wrapped.[151][204][205] As of 2020, no other reports on the film have been released
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is the third film in the DC Extended Universe.
- It was the tenth highest grossing film in 2016.
- This is the first theatrical film centering on the Suicide Squad.
- This is the fourth highest grossing film in the DCEU.
- Jared Leto chose not to re-watch the performance given by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008) because he felt he needed to form his own version of the character. He did not want to copy or lift material from any previous film version. Instead, he focused more on the comic book versions of the iconic villain.
- Waylon Jones, a.k.a. Killer Croc has only eight lines of dialogue in the movie, totaling sixty-four words.
- Many of Joker's scenes were omitted from the final cut.
- This film takes place after the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
- The first DC Extended Universe film to win an Oscar. It won for Best Make-up and Hairstyle Design.
- The fourth live-action superhero film to win an Academy Award, after Batman (1989), Spider-Man 2 (2004), and The Dark Knight (2008). Superman (1978) received a Special Achievement Academy Award.
- This film broke Batman: The Movie (1966)'s record of featuring the most villains in a Batman-related live action film.
- The first movie featuring Batman to not reference him in the film's title.
- This movie is the first superhero film since The Dark Knight (2008) to win an Academy Award.
- Tom Hardy was originally cast as Rick Flag, but dropped out to do The Revenant (2015). Hardy had previously played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), who was a former member of the Suicide Squad in the comic books. Hardy later expressed his regret at leaving the role, given that he did not want to lose the work.
- Many of Joker's scenes were omitted from the final cut.
- Jared Leto took inspiration from the Batman comic "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth," which portrayed The Joker as a transcendent, unsettling, and seductive person. He also cites gospel music, shamans, and Mexican cartels as an influence on the character.
- Waylon Jones, a.k.a. Killer Croc has only eight lines of dialogue in the movie, totaling sixty-four words.
- Part of this film is set in Midway City. In the DC Comics, this was the home of the superhero couple Hawkman and Hawkgirl.
- While reading the comic books in preparation to direct the film, David Ayer had Margot Robbie in mind for the role of Harley Quinn. However, Emma Roberts was offered the role by Warner Brothers, but she turned it down to star in Scream Queens (2015). Olivia Thirlby, Imogen Poots, Alison Brie, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Emma Watson, Emily Browning, Zooey Deschanel, Lily Collins, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Sara Paxton, Amanda Seyfried, and Evan Rachel Wood were also considered for the role of Harley Quinn.
- The Enchantress is the name of villainous characters in both DC and Marvel Comics, who coincidentally both wield magic and are clothed in green. The Enchantress of Marvel is a rival of Thor, while DC's is not primarily an antagonist on any one hero. In this film, she has been completely re-designed in order to look unique.
- David Ayer described this film as a "comic book version of The Dirty Dozen (1967)".
- Margot Robbie celebrated her twenty-fifth birthday on the set in her Harley Quinn costume with her own birthday cake which she posted on her Instagram and Twitter account.
- This film takes place after the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
- Oprah Winfrey, Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, and Octavia Spencer were all front runners for the role of Amanda Waller, before Davis was cast.
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Daniel Craig, Matthew McConaughey, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Keanu Reeves, Oscar Isaac, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Matt Damon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Alexander Skarsgård, Ewan McGregor, Robert Pattinson, Michael Fassbender, Joel Kinnaman, and Jon Hamm were considered for the role of Deadshot. Kinnaman would later be cast as Rick Flag.
- Arkham Asylum's gates in the movie are identical to the ones from the television show Gotham (2014).
- Blake Lively turned down the role of June Moone, a.k.a. Enchantress, due to scheduling conflicts with The Shallows (2016). Brie Larson, Saoirse Ronan, Megan Fox, Ellen Page, Krysten Ritter, Emma Stone, Alicia Vikander, Shailene Woodley, Emilia Clarke, and Alexandra Daddario were all considered for the role.
- Mark Hamill, voice of the Joker in several cartoons, has said that he liked Jared Leto's interpretation of the character.
- Scott Eastwood's father Clint Eastwood was considered for the role of Two-Face on Batman (1966), before producers decided not to use the character.
- Cara Delevingne admits to not having read any Enchantress comics prior to accepting the role or during production of the film.
- The first movie featuring Batman to not reference him in the film's title.
- David Ayer considered casting Freddy Rodríguez as Chato Santana, a.k.a. El Diablo before deciding on Jay Hernandez.
- Jai Courtney was rumored to be in talks for Deadshot, before being cast as Captain Boomerang.
- Will Smith and Margot Robbie co-starred in Focus (2015).
| Suicide Squad |
|---|
| Suicide Squad (2016), Birds of Prey (2020), The Suicide Squad (2021) |
| DC Extended Universe |
|---|
| Batman (1943), Batman and Robin (1949), Batman (1966), Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), Batman Forever (1995), Batman & Robin (1997), Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Suicide Squad (2016), The Lego Batman Movie (2017), Justice League (2017), Joker (2019), Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), The Batman (2022), The Flash (2023), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Joker: Folie à Deux (2024), The Batman: Part II (2025) The Brave and the Bold |