This article is about the 2021 standalone sequel.
- For the previous film from 2016, see Suicide Squad.
The Suicide Squad is a 2021 American superhero film based on the DC Comics team Suicide Squad. Produced by DC Films, Atlas Entertainment, and The Safran Company, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a standalone sequel to Suicide Squad (2016) and the tenth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). It was written and directed by James Gunn and stars an ensemble cast including Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, and Peter Capaldi. In the film, a task force of convicts are sent to destroy a Nazi-era laboratory and encounter the giant alien Starro.
Plot[]
Intelligence officer Amanda Waller sends two Task Force X (Suicide Squad) teams consisting of Belle Reve penitentiary inmates to the South American island nation of Corto Maltese after the government is overthrown by an anti-American regime. In exchange for a lighter sentence, the squads are tasked with destroying Jötunheim, a Nazi-era laboratory that holds a secretive experiment known as "Project Starfish". One team—led by Colonel Rick Flag and comprising Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Savant, Mongal, Weasel, Blackguard, T.D.K., and Javelin—is almost entirely killed by the Corto Maltese military upon arriving, but this allows the second team—comprising Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Ratcatcher 2—to enter undetected. After finding Flag at a base camp for rebel soldiers, the squad convinces rebellion leader Sol Soria to assist them. Meanwhile, Harley is taken prisoner by the Corto Maltese government, who are plotting to use Project Starfish against other nations.
The squad captures the Thinker, a metahuman scientist in charge of Project Starfish, and are joined by Harley when she escapes the Corto Maltese government. Breaking into Jötunheim, the squad rigs the facility with explosives as Flag and Ratcatcher 2 enter the underground laboratory with the Thinker. The two discover Project Starfish is Starro the Conqueror, a giant alien that controls its victims' bodies through spawning smaller versions of itself. The Thinker reveals that Starro was brought to Earth by the American government, which has been secretly funding the experiments on Corto Maltese for decades. A betrayed Flag decides to leak a hard drive containing evidence of this revelation, but Peacemaker, under secret orders to cover up America's involvement, kills him. A skirmish between the squad and the Corto Maltese military leads to Polka-Dot Man accidentally setting off the explosives prematurely. As the facility crumbles, Peacemaker attempts to kill Ratcatcher 2 when she obtains the drive, but Bloodsport shoots him and takes it.
Starro escapes, kills the Thinker and the surrounding military forces, and takes control of the island's population. Waller informs the squad that their mission is complete, but Bloodsport leads his teammates in battling Starro while Waller's subordinates prevent her from executing them for disobedience. Polka-Dot Man is killed, but the squad weakens Starro enough for Harley to pierce a hole in its eye; this allows Ratcatcher 2 to summon the city's rats, which chew Starro to death from the inside. The battle draws the Corto Maltese military away from the capitol, allowing Soria to take control of the government. Using the drive as leverage, Bloodsport forces Waller to release him and his surviving teammates in exchange for keeping its contents confidential, and they are safely airlifted out of Corto Maltese.
In two post-credits scenes, Weasel and Peacemaker are revealed to have survived, with Peacemaker in the care of Waller's subordinates.
Cast[]
- Margot Robbie as Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn
- Idris Elba as Robert DuBois/Bloodsport
- John Cena as Christopher Smith/Peacemaker
- Joel Kinnaman as Colonel Rick Flag
- Jai Courtney as George "Digger" Harkness/Captain Boomerang
- Peter Capaldi as Gaius Grieves/Thinker
- Alice Braga as Sol Soria
- Pete Davidson as Richard Hertz/Blackguard
- David Dastmalchian as Abner Krill/Polka-Dot Man
- Michael Rooker as Brian Durlin/Savant
- Taika Waititi as Ratcatcher
- Nathan Fillion as Cory Pitzner/T.D.K.
- Storm Reid as Tyla DuBois
- Daniela Melchior as Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2
- Maya Le Clark as Young Cleo Cazo
- Steve Agee as Warden John Economos and Nanaue/King Shark (on-set)
- Sylvester Stallone as Nanaue/King Shark (voice)
- Sean Gunn as Weasel and Calendar Man
- Joaquín Cosío as Major General Mateo Suarez
- Juan Diego Botto as General Presidente Silvio Luna
- Julio Ruiz as Milton
- Flula Borg as Gunter Braun/Javelin
- Tinashe Kajese as Flo Crawley
- Mayling Ng as Mongal
- Jennifer Holland as Agent Emilia Harcourt
- Viola Davis as Director Amanda Waller
- John Ostrander as Dr. Fitzgibbon
- Jared Leland Gore as Double Down
- Stephen Blackehart as Briscoe
- Lloyd Kaufman
- To be confirmed actor as Starro
Spin-Offs & Future[]
Spin-Offs[]
Gunn began working on a spin-off series featuring Peacemaker while completing work on The Suicide Squad. In January 2021, Gunn said he had ideas for more television spin-offs beyond Peacemaker. DC Films president Walter Hamada said a month later that they had plans for more projects with Gunn, and Safran said there was potential for more spin-offs based on Suicide Squad members such as Ratcatcher and Bloodsport if a filmmaker had a unique vision for them. Gunn said in February that he did not necessarily intend to write and direct every The Suicide Squad spin-off himself, like he did for Peacemaker. In November 2022, Stallone said he would reprise his role as King Shark in the future.
Peacemaker[]
While completing work on The Suicide Squad during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gunn began writing a spin-off television series centered on Peacemaker. In September 2020, HBO Max ordered Peacemaker straight-to-series, with Gunn writing all eight episodes and directing five of them. Cena stars as Peacemaker, with Agee, Holland, and Davis also reprising their respective film roles. Gunn and Safran executive produce the series, which premiered in January 2022. HBO Max renewed the series for a second season a month later, with Gunn set to write and direct all episodes.
Untitled Spin-Off Series[]
Gunn revealed in January 2022 that he was developing a new television project for DC, and it was confirmed to be based on a character from The Suicide Squad at the end of the month. HBO Max had not greenlit the series, for which writing had yet to begin, but the streaming service was said to be "high" on the idea based on Gunn's enthusiasm for it. The next month, Gunn said that they had been "working heavily" on the series and it had "advanced a lot", and said more details should be revealed soon. The series was reported to feature Amanda Waller in May 2022, but Gunn stated a month later that the series was separate from a potential Amanda Waller project though there would be "some blending" of characters from Peacemaker in the series.
Waller[]
A spin-off series featuring Amanda Waller was revealed in May 2022, with Christal Henry writing and serving as executive producer alongside Gunn and Safran. Davis was in negotiations to reprise her role and also executive produce the series, which was expected to build off Waller's appearances in Peacemaker which publicly revealed her work with the Suicide Squad. The series was revealed to be titled Waller in January 2023.
Canceled Sequel[]
In July 2021, Gunn said he had ideas for a sequel film that would go in a different direction from just assembling a new Suicide Squad team. In June 2022, Gunn said there had been discussions about a sequel to The Suicide Squad and he was considering it for his next feature film but his focus was on television for the foreseeable future following his positive experience making Peacemaker. The following June, Gunn said there would not be a sequel.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is a stand alone sequel to Suicide Squad.
- It will release in theatres and on HBO Max the same day, making it the second DCEU film to do so after Wonder Woman 1984.
- It will also be the DCEU's fourth R-rated film, after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Ultimate Edition, Birds of Prey, and Zack Snyder's Justice League.
- James Gunn specifically filled The Suicide Squad with obscure and unknown villains since he felt that was more faithful to the Squad in the comics: "I wanted to stick with John Ostrander's original vision of mostly second-rate antagonists. There's an innate tragic element to supervillains who aren't even that good at being bad."
- James Gunn considered The Suicide Squad the most fun he has had making a film, which he attributed to prioritizing creativity over perfectionism, being in the best place mentally and emotionally, having a "stupendous" cast and crew, a supportive studio (Warner Bros. didn't interfere with his vision and had only given a few minor notes on it), and feeling that he was at the height of his directing abilities.
- Joel Kinnaman said the film was an opportunity to give his character a blank slate, and said Flag was sillier, less jaded, more naive, and funnier compared to his portrayal in the first Suicide Squad (2016).
- James Gunn's favourite shot in the film is when King Shark rips a man in half. King Shark was CGI while his victim was a dummy with prosthetics.
- John Cena described Peacemaker as a "douchebag Captain America."
- Idris Elba was initially hired to replace Will Smith as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot, but it was later decided that Elba would play a new character (Bloodsport) to allow Smith to return in the future.
- Margot Robbie wears a new costume that features Harley's traditional red and black color palette, with James Gunn taking inspiration from the character's costume in the video game Batman: Arkham City. He wanted her jacket to have "motorcycle gang style"-writing on the back, and chose "Live fast, die clown" over other potential options "Clown AF" and "World's Best Grandpa". Gunn also removed Harley's "Rotten" facial tattoo from previous DC films because both he and Robbie disliked it.
- Margot Robbie said she would play Harley Quinn for as long as possible, as she loved playing her in the DC Extended Universe.
- James Gunn described Ratcatcher 2 as the "heart of the film".
- "Suicide Squad" comic writer John Ostrander plays Dr. Fitzgibbon in the film.
- James Gunn described the film as a 1970s war movie action comedy.
- James Gunn wanted Dave Bautista to play Peacemaker, but Bautista turned it down to play the lead role in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead (2021).
- Sean Gunn pulls double duty, standing in for Weasel on-set and also playing a live-action human character. In Belle Reve, he plays notorious DC villain Calendar Man who appears very briefly to goad Polka-Dot Man. He comes complete with the comic book villain's bald head and cranial tattoo of the months of the year.
- James Gunn described the film as neither a direct sequel or a reboot of the first film, but that "it is what it is". It was ultimately accepted to be a standalone sequel.
- Rick Flag wears a yellow T-shirt in this film, his traditional clothing from the comics.
- James Gunn wasn't refused permission to use any character he wanted. However, he purposely chose to use mostly lesser known characters. In a tweet Gunn wrote, "I considered many more well-known heroes and outlaws but I wanted to stick with Ostrander's original vision of mostly second-rate antagonists."
- Suicide Squad (2016) director David Ayer wished James Gunn all the best for directing the sequel. Ayer felt unsatisfied with the first film, as Warner Bros. ordered 10-week reshoots and changed most of the film from Ayer's original vision.
- James Gunn majorly used practical VFX in this film. He found it a relief after working on the CGI-heavy "Guardians of the Galaxy" films.
- James Gunn was brought in to write and potentially direct the sequel following his initial outing from Marvel Studios. The company subsequently rehired him, but allowed him to complete the film before beginning work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).
- One of the on-set rats was named after Chris Pratt, but as "Crisp Ratt". Pratt starred in director James Gunn's two previous superhero films, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017).
- James Gunn said in several interviews that he received much more creative freedom during filming than of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies from the MCU.
- Filmed entirely with IMAX-certified RED cameras, this will be the first R-rated movie to be filmed entirely in IMAX.
- Will Smith was set to return as Deadshot but left due to scheduling conflicts. Smith was filming King Richard (2021).
- Director James Gunn has quietly protested the film's same-day release on HBO Max. While he has praised the service in regards to the Peacemaker series, Gunn was reportedly outraged to learn the film would be available to stream alongside its theatrical release and has refused to mention HBO Max when promoting the film, frequently asserting that it was made for theaters, specifically IMAX.
- David Ayer was set to direct the sequel, but did not come back due to creative differences and the disappointing reception of its predecessor. Ayer was still attached to helm the spin-off Gotham City Sirens, but that project eventually developed without him as "Birds of Prey" for which he is still credited as a producer.
- This is the cinematic debut of the alien starfish supervillain Starro. Starro The Conqueror debuted during the Silver Age of comics, in Brave and the Bold #28 (March 1960) and was the first foe the Justice League of America tangled with.
- James Gunn has stated that he never considered putting the Joker in the film, or talked to Jared Leto about it, due to his not having any useful skills for the squad's mission.
- Steve Agee has a double role in this film: he plays the CGI stand-in for King Shark and acts as John Economos.
- John Murphy's return to film composing since Kick-Ass (2010).
- Harley Quinn sports red and black colors on her hair/clothes in this film, based on her appearance in the New 52 DC Comics.
- The Suicide Squad was released August 5, 2021. That is exactly 5 years after Suicide Squad's 2016 release date (August 5, 2016).
- Gavin O'Connor was set to direct, but he was subsequently let go once James Gunn was brought aboard. O'Connor was not made aware of this until the news broke on social media.
- David Dastmalchian was born with vitiligo, a skin condition that caused spots to appear on his skin in various places, and was even nicknamed "Polka-Dots" as a kid. Having this stigma allowed Dastmalchian to really get into Polka Dot Man's character.
- Jai Courtney stated that unlike Rick Flag, Captain Boomerang has not changed since the events of Suicide Squad, being "the same shitbag liability we came to learn about in the first one. He's out there causing trouble as you would expect."
- The film's director James Gunn and executive producer Zack Snyder go way back, as Gunn was a writer on Snyder's directing debut, Dawn of the Dead.
- David Ayer is on good terms with James Gunn and both have made it clear that there were no hard feelings about Gunn taking the reins of this follow-up. Ayer has even gone as far as to say that he's proud of Gunn and that the film is a "miracle of miracles."
- For the role of Ratcatcher 2, James Gunn chose Daniela Melchior, an actress who was unknown outside of her native Portugal.
- Idris Elba plays Bloodsport, who is convicted for shooting Superman with a Kryptonite bullet. Elba has stated interest in filming a prequel exploring the concept, presumably with DCEU Superman actor Henry Cavill.
- The numerous actors who get killed in the film weren't given any of the script after their character's death.
- Mel Gibson, Ruben Fleischer, Daniel Espinosa and Jonathan Levine were all in talks to direct the sequel during different points of the film's development.
- This is the sixth collaboration between James Gunn and Michael Rooker. They had previously worked together on Slither (2006), Super (2010), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Guardians of the Galaxy: Inferno (2017)
- Nanaue is called 'King Shark' just four times: first by Amanda Waller, second by Rick Flag and third by Peacemaker, and last by Ratcatcher 2.
- Zak Penn wrote a new story treatment, making this his 6th comic book movie after X-Men 2 (2003), Elektra (2005), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), The Incredible Hulk (2008) and The Avengers (2012).
- This movie will be released the day after James Gunn's 55th birthday.
- Ruben Fleischer was in consideration to direct the film. However, after reaching final negotiations to helm another comic book film in Venom (2018), he dropped out.
- This movie marks the return of Taika Waititi (the original Ratcatcher) to a DC movie (and his first movie in DC Extended Universe). He played Hal Jordan's best friend Tom Kalmaku in Green Lantern (2011).
- When James Gunn was hired by DC Films, he was given permission to adapt any property he wanted. Apart from the Suicide Squad, Gunn had also considered a Superman film. However, he admitted that it wouldn't have been a sequel to Man of Steel (2013), the first DCEU film.
- James Gunn is the second MCU director to make a DCEU film after Joss Whedon, who co-wrote and directed Justice League (2017) but remained uncredited for so.
- John Cena and Michael Rooker also appeared in Fast & Furious 9 (2021) which came out the same year this film was released.
- David Goyer was once rumored to direct the film but Goyer never came to have any negotiations in taking the helm.
- This is the first Suicide Squad movie to receive an R rating from the MPAA, since the original movie received a PG-13 rating.
- James Gunn is the third person to direct both a Marvel and DC film, having previously directed Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (2017). The first two are Stephen Norrington (directed Marvel's Blade (1998) and DC's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)) and Bryan Singer (directed Marvel's X-Men (2000), X-Men 2 (2003), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and DC's Superman Returns (2006)).
- While the film was in production, the surprise success of Joker (2019) ended up partially inspiring director James Gunn to make this film more adult-oriented.
| Suicide Squad |
|---|
| Suicide Squad (2016), Birds of Prey (2020), The Suicide Squad (2021) |
| DC Extended Universe |
|---|
| Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Suicide Squad (2016), Wonder Woman (2017), Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), Shazam! (2019), Birds of Prey (2020), Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), The Suicide Squad (2021), Black Adam (2022), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), The Flash (2023), Blue Beetle (2023), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) |