'The Suicide Squad' Production Start Date and Location Reportedly Revealed

We might have our best idea yet of when The Suicide Squad will get off the ground.

On Wednesday night, it was revealed that Will Smith will not be returning as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot in the upcoming DC Extended Universe film. In The Wrap's reporting on the manner, it was revealed that Smith departed the project due to scheduling conflicts, as "Warner Bros. is set to begin production on the Suicide Squad sequel in September in Atlanta."

This provides the most concrete idea yet of when and where production is poised to begin, after the film was given a 2021 release date earlier this year.

The Suicide Squad sequel has gone through several different unique evolutions since the original Suicide Squad made its debut in the summer of 2016. David Ayer, who helmed the first Academy Award-winning film, was initially expected to return, but left to focus on a Gotham City Sirens spinoff. Gavin O'Connor was then brought on to direct and co-write the project, with Gotham's Todd Stashwick co-writing as well. Production was expected to begin in the fall of 2018, but was reportedly delayed due to the script having similarities to the currently-filming Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

The most recent version of the script is being penned by James Gunn, who was brought on to the project months after being fired from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise due to offensive tweets. Gunn is also currently slated to direct the film.

The Suicide Squad is poised to not be a proper sequel to its predecessor, and is believed to have a primarily-new ensemble of characters within its titular team. So if this production start info ends up being true, it might not be too long before other casting details come to light.

What do you think of these new details surrounding The Suicide Squad? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Aquaman is in theaters now. Upcoming DC films include Shazam on April 5th, Joker on October 10th, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, The Batman on June 25, 2021, The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021, and Aquaman 2 on December 16, 2022.