Director James Gunn has had an eventful year, with controversy that harkens back to last July. When controversial tweets from a decade ago resurfaced, Gunn was unceremoniously fired from his Guardians of the Galaxy franchise by Disney. And while he's been reinstated to complete the trilogy, the gap in his schedule allowed for him to switch to the DC side of things, and pick up a gig with The Suicide Squad.
Information regarding The Suicide Squad has been slowly coming out, as the cast is assembled. But now James Gunn has finally opened up about the development process of his DC semi reboot, recently saying:
I am in pre-production on The Suicide Squad, which I am enormously excited about.
While not exactly a mind-blowing update, it's exciting to see James Gunn finally commenting on his highly anticipated DCEU gig. And it's ultimately a blockbuster that will arrive before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ever hits theaters.
James Gunn's comments to EW are enough to get his fans exciting for The Suicide Squad, and what the director/writer's vision will bring to the titular team of villains. While David Ayer's original film teased a colorful and motley crew in its Queen-fueled trailer, the final product failed to really connect with audiences. It still managed to make a ton of money and even pick up on Oscar, but it wasn't the rowdy and quirky movie fans were hoping for.
But The Suicide Squad might be the opportunity for the franchise to get back on track, and James Gunn seems like the perfect filmmaker to do it. Gunn did the impossible with his work in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The group of zany characters weren't exactly household names, and it was a challenge to assemble cast members like Chris Pratt. But the first two movies were massive successes, and the Guardians quickly became some of the most popular characters in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Related: The Suicide Squad: Who Should And Shouldn’t Return
If James Gunn is able to put as much vision into The Suicide Squad as he did for Guardians, the property could end up becoming one of DC's most vital. Following the disappointing performance of Justice League and Batman v Superman, Warner Bros. seems to be moving away from serialized storytelling. Instead, projects are not crossover-heavy, allowing directors to have more creative freedom over their individual movie. It's a method that worked for Aquaman and Shazam!, and will hopefully do wonders for Gunn's process as well.
Not much is known about The Suicide Squad, but there will be a mixture of familiar faces and new talent. James Gunn was reportedly approaching the movie as a reboot, although the inclusion of returning characters like Captain Boomerang and Amanda Waller seem to contradict those reports. We'll just have to wait for more official information from Gunn himself.
The Suicide Squad is currently set to arrive in theaters on August 6th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
