The Suicide Squad writer/director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran explained why Gunn had to make the upcoming DC film.
While speaking to Total Film, Safran delved into why Warner Bros. wanted Gunn to helm The Suicide Squad. "This is the Suicide Squad through the vision of James Gunn," Safran explained. "It’s very much The Dirty Dozen meets Guardians Of The Galaxy. The reason that the studio was so keen to do this with James is to get that great thing he brings to the table – the comedy, the heart, the action, the look... He had a very specific vision for the film, which he pitched from day one as a 1970s war caper movie."
Gunn added that he loves The Dirty Dozen, as well as "tales of redemption of bad characters who become good, or find some hint of goodness in themselves."
"I loved [writer] John Ostrander’s original run on Suicide Squad [comics in the 1980s]," Gunn continued. "The basic elements of that squad were what excited me, that it was a group of B-rate supervillains who were used as human fodder in black-ops missions by the US government. The idea of putting these sad-sack supervillain soldiers in this huge war film was exciting to me."
Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad stars Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Michael Rooker as Savant, Flula Borg as Javelin, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Mayling NG as Mongal, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, Alice Braga as Solsoria, Sylvester Stallone as King Shark, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Sean Gunn as Weasel, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, John Cena as Peacemaker and Steve Agee, Taika Waititi and Storm Reid. The film arrives in theaters and on HBO Max Aug. 6.
Source: Total Film via GamesRadar+