James Gunn's Suicide Squad is about to arrive in a few months and many are still confused as to whether it is a reboot or a sequel as it is described as a standalone sequel to the 2016 film Suicide Squad. It has retained some characters such as Harley Quinn and Amanda Waller which makes people think what it really is.
James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is a much-awaited film in the DCEU as it would be bringing to life a lot of various characters straight out of the DC comics composed of a team of cons suiting up for a do-or-die journey led by everyone's favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. The film could be the source of future titles for DCEU such as the Suicide Squad Spin-off Series of John Cena's Peacemaker.
In a report by ScreenRant, Peter Safran, producer of the film, said that the Suicide Squad of James Gunn is a "total reboot" and "not really a sequel" which is why the title of the film is not called Suicide Squad 2. Still, there is a lot of continuity with the characters involved in both films like how the film Birds of Prey was to the 2016 Suicide Squad.
Joel Kinnaman, the actor who plays Rick Flag, shared his thoughts with CBR on whether The Suicide Squad is a reboot or a sequel, he says that it is somewhere in between where characters from the first film would be returning, however, it is like "a completely new universe." Kinnaman added that Gunn applied an entirely different approach to the film which gave him new things to explore in portraying his character. The actor also shared that it is a blank slate.
Its description says that it is a standalone sequel film, if we are to dissect those words, standalone means that exists on its own and sequel means that it is preceded by another.
This makes more sense that the film is somewhere in between where it not quite a reboot but it is not a sequel as well. It has features of both that it is quite a sequel because of the retention of some characters like Harley and Amanda, at the same time, it is a reboot as it would reshape the Suicide Squad that we know of. The independence of this film from the 2016 theatrical release of Suicide Squad lies with the storyline that the upcoming film is about to take on.
The official synopsis of The Suicide Squad indicates that the film will have a 70s War-Style kind of vibe as the location of the set would be a Nazi-era prison and a bunch of cons would team up to successfully pull off the do-or-die mission that they would head on in Corto Maltese.
So, to clear the air, James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is somewhere in the middle of being a reboot and a sequel – it is a standalone sequel.
The Suicide Squad stars Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, Viola Davis' Amanda Waller, Idris Elba's Bloodsport, Jai Courtney's Captain Boomerang, John Cena's Peacemaker, Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flagg, Michael Rooker's Savant, David Dastmalchian's Polka-Dot Man, Steve Agee's King Shark, Daniela Melchior's Ratcatcher, and Flula Borg's Javelin.
Also joining the cast are Nathan Fillion as T.D.K., Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, Mayling Ng as Mongal, Joaquín Cosío as Mayor General Mateo Suarez, Sean Gunn is Weasel, Pete Davidson is Blackguard, Jennifer Holland is Emilia Harcourt, and Storm Reid as the daughter of Bloodsport. Among the other actors to be in the film are Julio Ruiz, Taika Waititi, and Sylvester Stallone.
The Suicide Squad is slated for release on August 6, 2021, with same-day availability on HBO Max.
Related: James Gunn Makes Fun of John Cena for Doing Interviews in His Peacemaker Costume
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