CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.
The DC Extended Universe has a had a unique life in theaters, and Warner Bros. continues to keep the public on its collective toes. One of the most hotly anticipated movies coming down the pipeline is James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which will be a soft reboot to David Ayer's original 2017 movie. A handful of returning actors are reprising their roles, including Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang. And that very actor recently explained how Gunn used the first movie as a launching pad.
The Suicide Squad is already a unique movie, as its building off of 2017's Suicide Squad while also telling a new story with a largely new cast. James Gunn is known for his unique director's vision, which brought great success to the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Jai Courtney will be back playing Captain Boomerang, and shared how this transition of characters occurred on the set of Gunn's DC debut. Courtney spoke about his second time playing this character, saying:
Probably because there was so much that had been established already and I think James knew that coming in, even though he’s doing his own thing with the film. I don’t feel like anyone felt the need to abandon what we had kind of already established, but he’s definitely the same guy, he’s not a dramatically different Boomerang. It’s just that the backdrop is a little different and there’s a whole bunch more people, so it’s going to have its own feeling and flavor about it, but people are going to have just as much fun with it and we had a great time making it.
James Gunn is a filmmaker with an attention to detail and deep love for comic books. He chose to work on The Suicide Squad because of his passion for Task Force X, including none other than Captain Boomerang. As such, it sounds like he was able to jump into the DCEU and leave room for the returning actors to lead the way in regards to characterization.
The original Suicide Squad movie is currently streaming over on HBO Max. You can use this link to sing up for the streaming service.
Later in Jai Courtney's same conversation with ComingSoon, the 34 year-old actor explained how The Suicide Squad being directed and written by a new team led by James Gunn isn't totally unique to that property. Many franchises have a changing of the guard, with the returning cast working with a new set of collaborators. As Courtney explained,
It would have changed if it was the same group of people, same filmmaker or same outfits carrying on. I’ve made movies like this before where you go back and do a sequel, for instance when we did Divergent, the rule book is different, the narrative changes, everyone’s in a different part of their lives and all of that influences your experience in production. I don’t think anyone was disappointed or more excited, they kind of know that the dynamic was going to be a bit different with the crew no matter the case, but I got to meet some amazing talent that I hadn’t worked before and there are so many people in this that just kill it and do an absolutely fantastic job and have a lot of fun. It’s cool, I’m pumped for it and I hope it’s a huge success.
That's certainly a good way of looking at it. Rather than having a David Ayer-shaped hole in the room, it looks like Jai Courtney went into The Suicide Squad ready to roll with the punches and have a different experience. And since James Gunn is a filmmaker known or adding his sense of humor, taste in music, and even dance moves to his films, the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker likely made this transition especially easy.
It should be interesting to see how Captain Boomerang changes or grows in The Suicide Squad when it hits theaters next summer. The roll call and set video from DC Fandome showed that the villain's signature weapons are glowing in the new movie. Do they also have new abilities? Only time will tell.
The Suicide Squad is currently set to arrive in theaters on August 6th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your other trips to the movies next year.
