In between being fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and then being rehired by Disney and Marvel, filmmaker James Gunn made the jump to DC to write and direct The Suicide Squad, the follow-up to 2016’s Suicide Squad. Cameras began rolling on the project last September, and today, Gunn announced that filming has finished with the heartwarming post below.
I can’t imagine having two tragedies basically sandwich your time helming a major motion picture, and as James Gunn acknowledged that this was a difficult period. However, as he also noted in his Instagram post showing the cast and crew of The Suicide Squad, this was also the “most fulfilling” time he had making a movie. Everyone he worked with on it inspired him and he’s grateful for everyone’s efforts during principal photography.
With a year and a half to go until The Suicide Squad comes out, obviously there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done on it. And given that a lot of blockbuster productions allot time for reshoots nowadays, don’t be surprised if James Gunn will bring the cast and crew back together later this year or sometime in early 2021 for more filming. Nevertheless, completing principal photography is a huge milestone for any movie, and this was a nice way for Gunn to put a cap on this stage of the creative process.
Although directors like Jaume Collet-Serra and Gavin O’Connor were previously in line for the Suicide Squad sequel, James Gunn was officially hired to oversee its creation in October 2018, and Warner Bros retitled the movie as The Suicide Squad the following January. Gunn indicated earlier this month that filming was about to finish, and one of the last stops of the journey was Panama City, where Gunn and his team had a great time.
Plot details about The Suicide Squad are still being kept under wraps, although while the first Suicide Squad movie was primarily inspired by the New 52 iteration of the team, Gunn drew more inspiration from the 1980s Task Force X comics by writers John Ostrander and Kim Yale. And even though all that footage has been shot for The Suicide Squad, don’t expect an official look at the movie anytime soon.
One thing we do know about The Suicide Squad is who’s comprising the main cast. Only four characters from Suicide Squad are coming back for this next round of action: Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag.
As for the newcomers, they include David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher and Steve Agee as King Shark. Idris Elba, John Cena, Storm Reid, Flula Borg, Nathan Fillion, Peter Capaldi, Pete Davidson, Alice Braga, Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker, Taika Waititi, Joaquín Cosío, Mayling Ng, Juan Diego Botto, Tinashe Kajese, Julio Ruiz, and Jennifer Holland have all been cast in undisclosed roles. Originally the plan was for Elba to take over as Deadshot from Will Smith, but it was later decided to have him play a new character instead.
The Suicide Squad opens in theaters on August 6, 2021. If you’re curious about what other DC movies are on the way, browse through our comprehensive guide, or take a look at our 2020 release schedule to learn what’s hitting the silver screen later this year.
