The Suicide Squad: Jai Courtney Compares 2016 Movie Experience

After a long wait, The Suicide Squad is finally hitting theatres and HBO Max next week. While the movie will see the return of some characters from the 2016 Suicide Squad, director James Gunn has made it clear that you don't need to see the first movie to understand his new one. The returning cast members include Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang. Naturally, the returning actors have been asked about the difference in their experiences during The Suicide Squad's press tour. While chatting with ComicBook.com, Courtney talked about what makes the two movies different.

"Well, weirdly, there's probably less nudity on the set of this film than there was on the last one. But what was captured on camera was certainly a little more adult. [James Gunn] was really able to push the envelope with the violence and the humor, but also the heart and the soul. And I think that's what he's done so well with this. We really get to the human core that a lot of these characters possess. And that's what gives us the gateway into them. It's the way we can connect with them. And I think that's why, despite the spectacle and all the amazing stunt work and visual stuff that audiences are going to have hitting them in the face, there's this sort of beautiful central emotional core of the film. And I think it's going to be quite moving. Fans are going to love it. I can't wait to push it out there into the world," Courtney shared.

In addition to the returning cast, The Suicide Squad is set to feature Idris Elba as Bloodsport, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Steve Agee as John Economos and King Shark (on-set reference), Sylvester Stallone as the voice of King Shark, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, John Cena as Peacemaker, Michael Rooker as Savant, Flula Borg as Javelin, Peter Capaldi as Thinker, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Mayling Ng as Mongal, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Sean Gunn as Weasel, Joaquin Cosio as General Mateo Suarez, Juan Diego Botto as Luna, Storm Reid as Tyla, Alice Braga as Sol Soria, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, and Taika Waititi.

"You get to see another side of Harley [in The Suicide Squad]," Robbie previously explained to ComicBook.com. "It's interesting. You keep getting to meet her at different points in her life, as if a couple of years have gone by. Of course, the films aren't directly connected, but as an actor, I can map it out in a chronological sense. So, it's fun to see 'Okay, what was she like a couple of years ago when she was with Mister J?' 'What is she like now, after they've broken up? And what is she going to be like in another couple of years' time?' I love seeing her at these different stages of her life."

The Suicide Squad is set to be released both in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6th.