The Suicide Squad Star Teases the Comedic Tone of the New Film, Calls It "Something Really Special"

Comic book movies have a reputation for balancing out their intense action with hilarious exchanges between their heroes and villains, though star of both 2016's Suicide Squad and the upcoming The Suicide Squad Joel Kinnaman recently detailed just how funny the upcoming film is, due in large part to the comedic sensibilities of filmmaker James Gunn. While the 2016 film was a major financial success, it was a critical disappointment, with many critiques being lobbed at the film's uneven tone. While the nature of the premise brings with it inherent action, Kinnaman's comments tease that the upcoming film will head into uncharted and hilarious territory for the characters.

"So that [role] I was very, very happy to come back to because it was such a treat, and such an incredible experience to work with James Gunn," Kinnaman shared with CBR. "And his vision for The Suicide Squad, it was so good. And when I got the script sent to me, it's so funny. Like every page made me laugh. I was sitting at home reading it laughing out loud."

He continued, "We had a great time shooting the first one, but this was something really special. And... I've never done a comedy before, and this felt like my first comedy. And I think in the first Suicide Squad, I'm not disappointed with my work in there, but... I never played around with it. I felt like I had these parameters that confined me in a way. So it was a great feeling for me to do the second one because James just opened up the possibilities for the character, and it became much more comedic."

The first film came from director David Ayer, who had hinted that his approach to the material would be darker than what fans had seen in previous DC Extended Universe films, though the success of Deadpool in the months before Suicide Squad's release and the criticisms of how morose Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was, Warner Bros. reportedly asked Ayer to lighten up the film. The result was a conflicted film, which saw Kinnaman playing the straight man to the rest of the narrative's much more colorful characters.

Despite the film's release being nearly a year away, Kinnaman went on to note the positive reception he hears the new film is already earning.

"[Gunn] really taught me how to find the comedy and where the opportunities for that was," the actor expressed. "And so it was a great learning experience. It was really fun, and both me and James, I think we had a great time working with each other on it. I can't wait for people to see that film. I think it's going to be so good. And everything I've heard, the studio is over the moon about the film. And Warner Bros. basically [has] very few notes, like, almost no notes on the director's cut, which is unheard of on a big movie."

Stay tuned for details on The Suicide Squad, which hits theaters on August 6, 2021.

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