In 2016, Warner Bros. is releasing two DC movies. First up is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, whose titular characters everyone has heard of. Later that year, though, audience goers will be treated to a different kind of comic book film. Suicide Squad, set for release on August 5, 2016, will follow a group of supervillains that are coerced into going on dangerous missions. That’s right: it won’t be a superhero headlining this film – it’s a group of bad guys! The Suicide Squad has been an important presence in the DC Universe since writer John Ostrander revitalized the group in the 1980s, and now they’re getting a chance to shine in the DC Cinematic Universe.
The Suicide Squad has appeared in a variety of media, such as Justice League Unlimited, Batman: Assault on Arkham and Arrow, but this will be their first theatrical appearance. Our first look at footage from the film was delivered during San Diego Comic-Con 2015, and you can watch the insanity below:
Now, here’s our handy guide on everything you need to know about the film, from its basic premise to all the major players. Read on to get the details!
The Story
The specific plot for the movie hasn’t been revealed yet, but we can expect the basic premise from the comic books to be the same. The Suicide Squad, officially designated Task Force X, is a secret team of supervillains that have been imprisoned by the United States government. The team undertakes high-risk missions for the government in exchange for amnesty. If they succeed in their mission, they live to fight another day, and get their sentences reduced. But if they fail, the government can just write them off. Hence the nickname, “Suicide Squad.” Team members also have micro bombs implanted inside them, which can be detonated if they try to escape or cause trouble during the mission. It has not yet been revealed what mission the team will be going on in the film, but that information should come with time.
The Director
It was announced back in September 2014 that David Ayer will helm Suicide Squad. Ayer is most famous for directing films like Street Kings and End of Watch. Last year saw the release of his World War II drama Fury, which followed tank operators during the final days of war in Europe, as well as the over-the-top violent cop drama Sabotage. In addition to directing, Ayer – who previously penned scripts for movies like Training Day, The Fast and the Furious and S.W.A.T. – also wrote Suicide Squad. As you can tell, his resume is primarily based around action movies, so he seems like an ideal fit for this film. During pre-production and filming, Ayer used social media to give fans looks behind the scenes, from shots of unique weapons to teasing a certain Batman-related locations.
Lex Luthor
While it remains only a rumor at this point, with the character not yet mentioned in any official announcement about the film, it’s been heavily suggested that Suicide Squad will have a direct connection back to the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – specifically through Lex Luthor. We first heard about this back in October 2014, when it was reported that Jesse Eisenberg was in discussions with Warner Bros. about reprising the supervillain character.
One report claimed that the Suicide Squad will be sent to stop Luthor’s superhuman trafficking operation, and it’s later learned that he has a master plan involving Enchantress. It may be a while before we get anything firm on this subject, as Luthor’s mere presence in Suicide Squad could wind up being a spoiler for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. So we’ll just have to wait and see how things pan out.
The Joker
In 2016, Jared Leto will become the fourth person to play Batman’s greatest enemy on the big screen – following in the footsteps of Caesar Romero, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. We don’t yet know the specifics of how the Clown Prince of Crime will fit into the plot of Suicide Squad, but the actor has enough experience playing unusual roles (like Mark David Chapman and Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club) that this will a doable challenge. His Suicide Squad costars have said he went verymethod while playing the Joker role, and from what we’ve seen of him so far, it looks like he’ll be terrifying.
Based on the trailer from Comic-Con 2015, it’s hard to say exactly how The Joker fits into the plot of Suicide Squad. The narration at the beginning suggests that Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller has locked him up in a hole and thrown away the hole, but the only footage that’s provided of Leto in character features him out and about. It’s very possible that Joker will be locked away for a good deal of the film, and that the footage showing him outside of a cage is all from flashbacks.
One rumor suggested that Joker will largely remain in the Belle Reve prison complex as a means of keeping Harley Quinn in check after she’s joined the Squad, but will escape near the end. While this has yet to be confirmed, expect him to be one of the movie’s main characters.
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