Gunn's Suicide Squad Will Be a Relaunch, with a Mostly All-New Cast

CBR

By Ian Cardona

Published Jan 31, 2019

Following reports that James Gunn will direct Suicide Squad 2, it's being said that the movie will work as a relaunch that features a mostly new cast.

The all-new, all-different Suicide Squad is coming.

Late Wednesday, it was reported that James Gunn is in early talks to helm Warner Bros.' upcoming DC film, The Suicide Squad, a sequel to the 2016's Suicide Squad.

However, it appears the film won't be a sequel in the traditional sense. In fact, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie "is not being labeled a direct sequel but as a relaunch." Therefore, Gunn's The Suicide Squad will not be direct follow-up to David Ayer's film, but rather a soft reboot. What does that mean? A new cast, and a new direction.

The Suicide Squad may feature a few returning cast members, but the bulk of the ensemble will be new. "Sources say that Gunn’s focus is to take the franchise in a new direction with a mostly all-new cast of characters and actors," the report claims. "Sources also say that the project is also very much rooted in Gunn’s vibe, as seen in the Guardians movies."

The first Suicide Squad ended with most of the movie's cast alive and back in Belle Reve prison, awaiting their next mission when Harley Quinn was broken out by the Joker. However, we may now be looking at a completely different take on Amanda Waller's Task Force X.

As of yet, it's difficult to say which cast members will return for the sequel/relaunch. It was previously rumored that both Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn and Will Smith's Deadshot would return in a proposed Suicide Squad sequel, but that may have changed following Gunn's arrival on the project.

Robbie's breakout Suicide Squad character will next be seen in Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), where the character will team-up with Black Canary and Huntress. The film, which recently unveiled a first look teaser, is slated for release Feb. 7, 2020.

Gunn had been tapped to write the sequel back in October, after the director was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by Disney. While there were rumors that he would also direct the DC film back then, talks are finally under way and an official announcement could come at any time.

Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad does not have an announced cast yet. The film is set to hit theaters Aug. 6, 2021.