The DC live-action universe has really hit its stride over the past few years, with a slew of critically successful movies following the poor performance of Justice League. There are also a slew of highly anticipated blockbusters arriving over the next few years, including James Gunn's The Suicide Squad. Moviegoers are eager to see what the Guardians of the Galaxy visionary will do with a slew of DC villains, especially given how much he loves the comic book source material. And it turns out that Gunn did even more research than we realized.
James Gunn is a comic book aficionado, who has love for adventures on both the DC and Marvel side of things. Warner Bros. gave Gunn his choice of properties to direct within the DCEU, and Gunn chose The Suicide Squad because of his particular fondness for the motley crew. He'd obviously read about the Squad's adventures on the page, but he recently opened up about his extensive research. As he put it,
Holy comic research, Batman. James Gunn has really done his homework in preparation for The Suicide Squad, and read literally all of the team's adventures on the page. As such, we should expect his upcoming DC debut to really pay homage to the source material, therefore honoring its mysterious cast of characters in the process.
James Gunn opened up about his research for The Suicide Squad on his personal Twitter page. He regularly uses the social media platform to directly converse with the fans, usually shooting down a rumor or two in the process. When asked if he brought in comic book experts to consult on The Suicide Squad, he took the time to reveal how much research he'd actually done. Aka he didn't need much outside help on the process.
These comments from James Gunn are sure to excite comic book fans, especially given his track record with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Gunn took a relatively unknown group of Heroes and made them some of the MCU's most beloved characters. He's clearly skilled at balancing a motley crew of comic book characters, so it'll be interesting to see how his talents translate to a villain-centric property.
The first Suicide Squad movie failed to resonate with audiences when it arrived back in 2017. The reviews were poor, with David Ayer citing studio interference and heavy editing which clouded his vision. But the movie did start a franchise, performed at the box office, and even won an Academy Award for its makeup.
Smart money says James Gunn has a very different vision for The Suicide Squad, with fans wondering if he might even make the movie R-rated. While he's yet to reveal his plans for the movie's rating, Gunn assembled an impressive cast of actors to bring his DC debut to life. The movie will also feature some familiar faces from the original, including Harley Quinn, Rick Flag, Amanda Waller, and Captain Boomerang.
The Suicide Squad is currently expected to arrive in theaters on August 6th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies once they reopen.
