As it stands now, it appears James Gunn will be pulling inspiration from a comic run that should make long-time Suicide Squad readers happy. According to new reports, The Suicide Squad will primarily draw inspiration from John Ostrander and Kim Yales’ seminal run of the late 1980s.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Lasting over 60 issues, Ostrander and Yale were responsible for bringing the team into a more modern, post-Crisis on Infinite Earths world. Though featuring characters like Deadshot, Rick Flag, Bronze Tiger, and Plastique, Gunn’s roster is set to go nearly as obscure as possible.
Earlier this week, reports stated Gunn was looking at forming a team consisting of Ratcatcher, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Peacemaker. That’d be in addition to Idris Elba replacing Will Smith as Deadshot and a reported return of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.
As usual with the scripting process, things could change between now and the time the film hits the silver screen, especially when The Suicide Squad isn’t scheduled for distribution for nearly two and a half years. The reports seem to indicate, however, that Warner Brothers is going all-in with the fan-favorite filmmaker as they look for him to bring over the Guardians of the Galaxy touch he found with Marvel Studios.
Despite being panned by critics and fans alike, David Ayer’s version of Suicide Squad (2016) made a whopping $746m worldwide against a reported budget of $175m. The film ended up being pretty light on the visual effects, especially when compared to Aquaman or Gunn’s Guardians films. Should the studio embrace the filmmaker’s high-concept out-of-this-world storytelling abilities, chances are The Suicide Squad will rake in plenty more than it’s predecessor — especially when high-VFX movies perform exceptionally well overseas.
The Suicide Squad is set for release on August 6, 2021. Other upcoming DC films include Shazam! on April 5, Joker on October 4th, Birds of Prey on February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, and The Batman on June 25, 2021.
What’s your favorite Suicide Squad story arc? Who else were you hoping made the team this time around? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
—–
Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.
In this latest episode, we talk Arrow coming to an end, new Avengers: Endgame footage shown, a HUGE Captain Marvel discussion & so much more! Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!
