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Although The Suicide Squad will primarily be filled with new characters, there are several people from the first Suicide Squad movie who are returning for James Gunn’s take on the Task Force X mythos. Among them is Joel Kinnaman reprising Rick Flag, the Special Force officer who leads the titular team and makes sure its criminal members don’t cause an trouble during missions.
It’s been said numerous times that The Suicide Squad will feel quite different to its 2016 predecessor. As another reaffirmation as this, here’s what Joel Kinnaman had to say about his experience on the sequel/relaunch/whatever it is so far:
He’s an incredible guy. He’s written a fantastic script. It’s so funny, [and] I feel like I’m shooting my first comedy. There are a lot of really funny people there. It’s like a learning experience. I’m around a lot of incredible funny people.
Suicide Squad certainly had its share of comedic moments, but with James Gunn at the helm, you can count of a lot more of those moments in The Suicide Squad. His Guardians of the Galaxy movies are among the funniest offerings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it’s hardly surprising that he’d want to deliver a similar tone in The Suicide Squad. As Joel Kinnaman noted to Variety, that’s a fresh experience for him, as he’s primarily acted in dramatic works.
Clearly Joel Kinnaman is having a blast on The Suicide Squad, which began filming towards the end of September. James Gunn boarded the project in the interim period between when he was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and when Marvel rehired him onto the threequel. Once Gunn has assembled the final cut of The Suicide Squad, then he’ll go back to hanging out with the Guardians, but for now, his attention is focused on the DC universe.
Returning alongside Joel Kinnaman for The Suicide Squad are Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and Viola Davis as Captain Boomerang. Originally Idris Elba was also brought in to replace Will Smith Deadshot, but then it was decided to have Elba play a new character instead and leave the door open for Smith to reprise the assassin in another movie.
As for the other new faces, so far the only other characters who’ve been identified in reports (i.e. not officially confirmed) are David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher and Steve Agee as the voice of King Shark. Everyone else’s character identities, from John Cena and Taika Waititi to Alica Braga and Michael Rooker, are being kept under wraps, and it doesn’t look like we’ll learn who they’re playing for a while.
The Suicide Squad, which is based on the John Ostrander-era of the team, charges into theaters on August 6, 2021, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on how it’s coming along. In the meantime, learn what other DC movies are on the way or in the works with our comprehensive guide.
