The Suicide Squad: James Gunn Shares New Behind-the-Scenes Look at Cast

The Suicide Squad is just days away from arriving in theaters and on HBO Max, and based on early reactions, it sounds like it might be one of DC’s best blockbusters yet. In the lead-up to the film’s release, fans have been sharing their excitement to see its ragtag ensemble interact together on the big screen — and now, a new behind-the-scenes photo teases what fans can expect. The Suicide Squad writer-director James Gunn recently took to Twitter to share a behind-the-scenes photo from the film, which shows David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man), John Cena (Peacemaker), Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher 2), Idris Elba (Bloodsport), and Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag) sitting undercover at a bar.

In The Suicide Squad, welcome to hell — a.k.a. Bell Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out — even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin, and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.

The Suicide Squad will see the return of Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman as Colonel Rick Flag, and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang from 2016’s Suicide Squad. Joining them in the film are David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Steve Agee as King Shark, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, John Cena as Peacemaker, Nathan Fillion as T.D.K., Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Flula Borg as Javelin, Mayling Ng as Mongal, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, Michael Rooker as Savant, Alice Braga as Sol Soria, and Sean Gunn as Weasel.

“Well, I think what I really did wasn’t so much getting scenes from [Suicide Squad comic writer] John [Ostrander], as it was just the tone and the premise of the entire thing,” Gunn explained in a recent interview with ComicBook.com. “I mean, I do think of this movie as being a sequel to John Ostrander stories from the late 80s where it’s a bunch of Z-grade superheroes who are thought of as disposable by the US government and put out on a suicidal missions, Black Ops operations around the world, and really just sticking to that central premise and keeping that there is what was important to me.”

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