The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad is a 2021 American superhero film based on the DC Comics antihero team Suicide Squad. Set for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is intended to be a soft reboot and standalone sequel to Suicide Squad (2016) and the tenth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film, written and directed by James Gunn, stars an ensemble cast led by Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Peter Capaldi, and Viola Davis. In the film, several convicts join a task force known as the "Suicide Squad" in exchange for lighter sentences. They are sent to the South American island nation of Corto Maltese to destroy all traces of the giant alien starfish Starro the Conqueror before it falls into the local government's control.
Plans for a sequel to Suicide Squad began before that film's release and were confirmed in March 2016. Though director David Ayer was initially set to return, he dropped out in December 2016 in favor of Gotham City Sirens. Warner Bros. considered multiple directors, including Mel Gibson and Daniel Espinosa, before hiring Gavin O'Connor in September 2017. However, O'Connor left the project a year later due to creative differences. In October 2018, James Gunn, who at the time had been fired by The Walt Disney Company from directing the Marvel Studios film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, was hired to write the film, and signed on to direct in January 2019. Gunn looked to the 1980s Suicide Squad comics for inspiration and chose to focus on new characters rather than continue the 2016 film's narrative. Principal photography began in Atlanta, Georgia in September 2019, and concluded in Panama in February 2020.
The Suicide Squad was released in the United States on August 6, 2021, simultaneously in theaters and on the streaming service HBO Max. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised Gunn's direction, visual style and irreverent humor, with many noting it a significant improvement over its predecessor. Though it became the most-streamed DCEU film on HBO Max, the film was a box office disappointment and grossed $168.7 million worldwide against a production budget of $185 million, which was attributed to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the film's availability on HBO Max, and its relationship to the first Suicide Squad. Peacemaker, a spin-off television series with Cena reprising his role as the titular character, debuted on HBO Max in January 2022. Two other spin-off series are in development for HBO Max, including Waller, with Davis reprising her role.
== Plot ==
Task Force X, a squad of inmates from Belle Reve penitentiary, are sent to the South American island nation of Corto Maltese after the government is overthrown by an anti-American regime. Under orders from intelligence officer Amanda Waller, the squad is tasked with destroying Jötunheim, a Nazi-era laboratory that holds a secretive experiment known as "Project Starfish". A team led by Waller's subordinate Colonel Rick Flag is almost entirely wiped out by the Corto Maltese military upon landing, but this allows a second team comprising Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Nanaue, Polka-Dot Man, and Ratcatcher 2 to enter the country undetected. After finding Flag at a base camp for rebel soldiers, the squad convinces rebellion leader Sol Soria to assist them. Meanwhile, first team survivor Harley Quinn is taken prisoner by the Corto Maltese government, who are plotting to use Project Starfish against other nations.
The squad accomplishes their next objective of capturing The Thinker, a metahuman scientist in charge of Project Starfish, while also joined by Harley when she escapes the Corto Maltese government. Breaking into Jötunheim, most of the squad rigs the facility with explosives as Flag and Ratcatcher 2 enter the underground laboratory. Accompanied by the Thinker, they discover Project Starfish to be Starro the Conqueror, a powerful extraterrestrial capable of attaching miniature spawn of itself to control its victims' minds. The Thinker reveals that Starro was brought to Earth by the American government, who have been secretly funding the experiments on Corto Maltese for decades. Peacemaker, under secret orders to cover up America's involvement, kills Flag after he refuses to surrender a hard drive containing evidence of this revelation, but Ratcatcher 2 manages to obtain the drive. Meanwhile, a skirmish between the squad and the Corto Maltese military leads to Polka-Dot Man accidentally setting off the explosives prematurely. During the ensuing chaos, Bloodsport saves Ratcatcher 2 by shooting Peacemaker, while Starro escapes the laboratory, killing The Thinker and the Corto Maltese military.
As Starro begins to enslave the island's population, Waller informs the squad that their mission is over. However, Bloodsport leads his teammates in battling Starro, while Waller's subordinates subdue her to prevent her from executing the squad. Polka-Dot Man is killed, but the squad weakens Starro enough for Ratcatcher 2 to summon the city's rats against the extraterrestrial, which chew Starro to death from its insides. The squad's battle, having drawn the Corto Maltese military away from the capitol, also allows Soria to take control of the government, which she pledges to reform. Using the drive as leverage, Bloodsport forces Waller to release him and his surviving teammates in exchange for keeping its contents confidential, allowing them to be airlifted out of Corto Maltese.
In two post-credits scenes, Weasel from the first team and Peacemaker are revealed to be alive, with the former still in Corto Maltese and the latter under government care.
==Cast==
* Margot Robbie as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn: A crazed criminal and former psychiatrist who worked as part of the Birds of Prey and was also a member of the original Suicide Squad.
* Idris Elba as Robert DuBois / Bloodsport:A convicted felon armed with the most weapons out of any character in the film, who is serving time in prison for shooting Superman with a bullet made of Kryptonite. Elba was originally cast as Floyd Lawton / Deadshot, replacing Will Smith from the first film, but Warner Bros. and director James Gunn eventually decided to have him play a new character instead, allowing Smith the opportunity to return in a future film.
* John Cena as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker: A ruthless killer who believes in achieving peace at any cost. The character has been described by Cena as a "douchey Captain America".
* Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag: The heroic military leader of the original Suicide Squad, now the leader of the new squad.
* Peter Capaldi as Clifford DeVoe / The Thinker: A highly-intelligent supervillain with mind control and telekinetic abilities, who is a member of the new Suicide Squad.
* Viola Davis as Amanda Waller: A government official who organized the Task Force X program and founded the first Suicide Squad. She now heads the second Suicide Squad.
* Jai Courtney as George "Digger" Harkness / Captain Boomerang: An unhinged Australian thief who wields weaponized boomerangs and was also part of the original Suicide Squad.
* Alice Braga as Sol Soria: A South American revolutionary and an ally of the new Suicide Squad.
* Pete Davidson as Richard Hertz / Blackguard: A mercenary and a member of the new Suicide Squad.
* David Dastmalchian as Abner Krill / Polka-Dot Man: A criminal who wears a suit covered with polka dots that can be transformed into a variety of gadgets, and a member of the new Suicide Squad.
* Michael Rooker as Brian Durlin / Savant: A computer hacker and a member of the new Suicide Squad.
* Nathan Fillion as Floyd Belkin / T.D.K.: A supervillain who can detach his arms for use as weapons, and a member of the new Suicide Squad.
* Storm Reid as Tyla: DuBois' teenage daughter.
* Daniela Melchior & Taika Waititi as Ratcatcher: A member of the new Suicide Squad.
*Sylvester Stallone as Nanaue / King Shark: A metahuman with shark-like characteristics and abilities. In addition to King Shark, Agee also plays a character named John Economos. Steve Agee developed King Shark's portrayal as a stand-in on set, with the character then created with visual effects.
* Sean Gunn as John Monroe / Weasel: A terrifying half-rat, half-man. 
* Joaquín Cosío as Mateo Suárez: Luna's second-in-command.
* Juan Diego Botto as Silvio Luna: A ruthless South American dictator.
* Julio Ruiz
* Flula Borg as Javelin: A German athlete-turned-supervillain who wields javelins as weapons, and a member of the new Suicide Squad.
* Tinashe Kajese as Flo Crawley
* Mayling Ng as Mongal: An alien and an ally of the new Suicide Squad.
* Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt: An aide to Amanda Waller.
Also starring in the film are David Dastmalchian as Abner Krill / Polka-Dot Man, an "experiment gone wrong" turned criminal in a suit covered with polka dots who Gunn described as "the dumbest DC character of all time" and hoped to turn into a tragic character for the film; Daniela Melchior as Cleo Cazo / Ratcatcher 2, a bank robber described as the "heart of the film" by Gunn, who inherited the mantle of "Ratcatcher" from her father, can control rats and communicate with them, and has a pet rat named Sebastian; Michael Rooker as Brian Durlin / Savant, a vigilante computer hacker; Alice Braga as Sol Soria, leader of a rebel faction on Corto Maltese; Pete Davidson as Richard "Dick" Hertz / Blackguard, a mercenary who is easily manipulated into ruining his own schemes; Nathan Fillion as Cory Pitzner / T.D.K., formerly known as The Detachable Kid, Pitzner is a metahuman who can detach his arms from his body to use them as weapons; Sean Gunn as Weasel, an anthropomorphic weasel whose portrayal is based on Bill the Cat from the comic strip Bloom County and who James Gunn described as "barely more than an animal ... [who] has no clue what is happening around him"; Sean Gunn also portays Calendar Man; Flula Borg as Gunter Braun / Javelin, a former Olympic athlete who wields javelins as weapons; and Mayling Ng as Mongal, an alien mass murderer with genocidal tendencies.
In addition to playing King Shark on set, Steve Agee portrays John Economos, the warden of the Belle Reve penitentiary and an aide to Waller. Also appearing are Joaquín Cosío as Mateo Suárez, the Major General of Corto Maltese; Juan Diego Botto as Silvio Luna, the dictator of Corto Maltese; Storm Reid as Bloodsport's daughter Tyla; Julio Ruiz as Milton, an associate of Task Force X; Tinashe Kajese as Flo Crawley; Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, an aide to Amanda Waller; Taika Waititi as the first Ratcatcher, Cazo's father; and the character Starro. John Ostrander, creator of the 1980s Suicide Squad team that influenced the film, appears as Dr. Fitzgibbon, while Stephen Blackehart has a small role as the pilot Briscoe, and Lloyd Kaufman appears as a party guest.
==Production==
===Development===
In March 2016, ahead of the release of Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. Pictures announced a sequel was in development. David Ayer and Will Smith were attached to reprise their respective roles as director and Deadshot, and filming was on track to begin in 2017 after the pair completed work on Bright. The following month, Ayer expressed an interest in making the sequel R-rated, but by December had exited in favor of directing Gotham City Sirens. Warner Bros. entered negotiations with Mel Gibson to direct shortly afterwards, but he passed after production delays. Daniel Espinosa, Jonathan Levine, and Ruben Fleischer were also under consideration. In March 2017, The Legend of Tarzan writer Adam Cozad was hired to write the screenplay. The Suicide Squad sequel was said to be a priority for Warner Bros., with a focus on coming up with a story.
Warner Bros.' top choice to direct was Jaume Collet-Serra, but he passed in favor of Disney's Jungle Cruise because he did not like the idea of continuing a story another director started. David S. Goyer was also considered to direct the film. In July, Zak Penn pitched a new story treatment and had begun a new draft as a favor for the studio. At San Diego Comic-Con that month, the film was officially titled Suicide Squad 2. By August, Jared Leto was set to reprise his role as the Joker from the first film, and Variety reported production would not begin until late 2018 because of Smith's production schedule on Aladdin and Gemini Man. In September, Gavin O'Connor was hired to direct and co-write the film with Warrior screenwriter Anthony Tambakis. Michael De Luca joined the project as producer alongside Charles Roven. O'Connor brought in David Bar Katz and Todd Stashwick to co-write the screenplay in June 2018, which was finished in September and featured the Suicide Squad attempting to track down Black Adam. According to Variety Justin Kroll, O'Connor's script was too similar to the one for Birds of Prey, which Warner Bros. gave a green-light to first. Frustrated, O'Connor withdrew from the project in favor of The Way Back.
Months earlier, in July 2018, The Walt Disney Company and Marvel Studios dismissed James Gunn from directing the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after old controversial tweets surrounding topics such as rape and pedophilia began circulating. As a result, Warner Bros. immediately became interested in recruiting him to direct a DC Films movie, and offered him a number of properties, including Superman. Gunn chose the Suicide Squad sequel, and by the time he completed his exit settlement with Disney and Marvel in October, Warner Bros. hired him to write the screenplay and potentially direct. Ayer supported the decision, saying that Gunn's hiring was a "brave and smart move" by Warner Bros. and calling him "the right man for the job", while fellow Guardians of the Galaxy alumnus Dave Bautista expressed interest in appearing in the film.
===Pre-production===
By January 2019, Gunn had been hired to direct and Warner Bros. retitled the film The Suicide Squad, with production set to start in September for a scheduled August 6, 2021 release date. Charles Roven and Peter Safran were also attached to produce. Safran stated the film was retitled "because it's a total reboot ... It's everything you would hope from a James Gunn script and I think that says a lot and that promises a lot and I know that we will deliver a lot." Although Disney had reinstated Gunn as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by March, production for that film would not begin until he completed his work on The Suicide Squad and its spin-off television series for Peacemaker.
In February 2019, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Smith would not be reprising his role as Deadshot from the first film due to scheduling conflicts. Gunn met with Idris Elba to discuss replacing him, which "went so swimmingly that talks began with the studio in earnest." Elba, who was the only choice of Gunn and Warner Bros., signed on to portray Deadshot in March. However, by April, Gunn and Warner Bros. had decided to have Elba portray a different character, which would enable Smith to return in a future film. At that time, Viola Davis and Margot Robbie had been confirmed to return as Amanda Waller and Harley Quinn, while Jai Courtney announced he would be reprising his role as Captain Boomerang in an interview. The involvement of Joel Kinnaman, who portrayed Rick Flag in the first film, was initially unclear, but he was set to return by July. Leto's involvement was also unclear, and unlike Kinnaman, he was not expected to appear by September as Gunn felt the character wasn't necessary.
At this point, production of The Suicide Squad was set to begin after Robbie finished her work on Birds of Prey. The Suicide Squad was described as a new take on the property rather than a direct sequel to the 2016 film. Unlike Ayer, who was primarily inspired by the New 52 Suicide Squad comics, Gunn drew inspiration from the 1980s comics by John Ostrander and Kim Yale. As such, Gunn decided to focus more on characters who were not introduced in Suicide Squad, such as a female version of the Ratcatcher, Polka-Dot Man, King Shark, and Peacemaker. During pre-production, he also considered adding Sportsmaster, Kite Man and the Section 8 character Dogwelder to the film's Suicide Squad team, but ultimately decided against using them. Gunn was said to be considering casting Bautista as Peacemaker, though this could not happen due to scheduling conflicts. In April, David Dastmalchian and Daniela Melchior were cast as Polka-Dot Man and Ratcatcher, respectively. John Cena entered talks for an unspecified role. In July, Storm Reid joined the cast, while Cena's involvement was confirmed. In August, Flula Borg and Nathan Fillion were cast in an undisclosed roles, and Steve Agee was hired to voice King Shark, with Taika Waititi entering negotiations to join in an unspecified role. In September, Peter Capaldi joined the cast, and Pete Davidson entered negotiations for a cameo. The remainder of the cast was confirmed later in the month.
===Filming===
Principal photography began on September 20, 2019, at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. Filming in Atlanta was expected to last three months before transitioning to Panama for a month. Joel Kinnaman described the film as a comedy. Filming wrapped on February 28, 2020.
===Post-production===
In April 2020, Gunn confirmed that he was editing the film at his home and that the COVID-19 pandemic had not affected the film's post-production and release date at that time. A behind-the-scenes featurette was released on August 22, during the virtual DC FanDome event. The film was described as a being like a 1970s war movie. Gunn has cited The Dirty Dozen (1967) and City of God (2002) as influences and inspirations for the film.
==Music==
John Murphy will compose the soundtrack for The Suicide Squad, marking Gunn's first film without a score composed by Tyler Bates.
==Release==
The Suicide Squad is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on August 6, 2021.
==Spin-off series==
In September 2020, Gunn announced that a spin-off television series centered on Peacemaker was in development for HBO Max and that he would write the episodes and direct some of them, and executive produce it with Safran and have Cena reprising his role.
== Release ==
The Suicide Squad was originally scheduled to be theatrically released on August 6, 2021 in the United States. On December 3, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced that the film would also be simultaneously available on the streaming service HBO Max for a month on that day. On July 9, 2021, the film's release in the United States was moved up by a day to August 5.  The film premiered theatrically first in the United Kingdom on July 30.
== Marketing ==
A behind-the-scenes featurette was released on August 22, 2020, during the virtual DC FanDome event. A panel for the film was held during Comic Con Experience's digital event CCXP Worlds on December 6, with James Gunn and members of the cast in attendance. A design for Elba's costume as Bloodsport was revealed.
The film's first trailer was released on March 26, 2021, with Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club praising its jokes and action. He felt everything about the trailer perfectly captured the Suicide Squad's inherent "outlandish fun" from the comics. Anthony D'Alessandro at Deadline Hollywood felt the trailer had all the trademarks of Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy films, noting the use of a "retro hit single" in Steely Dan's "Dirty Work", with The Verge's Jay Peters also getting "some serious Guardians of the Galaxy vibes" from the trailer. D'Alessandro and Peters both compared it to the recently released DC film Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) and noted how the trailer was much more colorful and humorous than that film. McLevy, Jennifer Bisset and Sean Keane of CNET, and CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell all highlighted King Shark and his R-rated scenes. The trailer was viewed 150 million times within a week of its release, breaking the record for red band trailers that was previously held by the trailer for Mortal Kombat (2021).
A green band trailer was released online on April Fool's Day, after debuting in front of theatrical screenings of Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). It features new footage, as Gunn did not just want to use a slightly edited version of the red band trailer as is usually done. Jennifer Ouellette at Ars Technica noted that the new trailer had a darker, more ominous tone than the red band version, without the jokes and King Shark scenes and with added character beats.
Another trailer was released on June 22 by the main cast of the film in a marketing stunt where they pretended that they were leaking the trailer early. Gunn and Warner Bros. also joked about the trailer's "early release". The trailer features the song "Rain" by grandson and Jessie Reyez from the film's soundtrack album.
== Music ==
In May 2020, John Murphy was set as the composer for the film. Tyler Bates, who scored all of Gunn's previous films, was originally attached to compose the score for The Suicide Squad but eventually left the project. During pre-production, Bates wrote music for Gunn to use on set as he had previously done for Gunn on the Guardians of the Galaxy films. The single "Rain" by grandson and Jessie Reyez from the film's soundtrack album was released on June 22, 2021, with the artists also expected to contribute songs individually to the album. A single from Murphy's score, "So This Is The Famous Suicide Squad", was made available on July 8.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
In the United States and Canada, The Suicide Squad is projected to gross around $30 million from 4,000 theaters in its opening weekend, with some industry insiders estimating it could reach $40 million.
The week prior to its domestic release, the film made $6.7 million from five countries, including $4.7 million in the United Kingdom and $1.6 million in France.
=== Critical response ===
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 375 reviews of the film are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Enlivened by writer-director James Gunn's singularly skewed vision, The Suicide Squad marks a funny, fast-paced rebound that plays to the source material's violent, anarchic strengths." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 55 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Reviewing for The A.V. Club, Katie Rife gave the film a "B+" grade and said, "Now that superhero movies have gone from disreputable entertainment for children to global events ushered in with awed reverence, it was time for someone to come along and pop the balloon. Pulpy and outrageous, irreverent and ultraviolent, The Suicide Squad does so with a smile." Writing for Variety, Owen Gleiberman called the film what "the first Suicide Squad should have been" and said that "The Suicide Squad comes sizzlingly alive as all-cylinders comic-book moviemaking. There's a frowsy destructive joy to the staging." Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent also praised the film and considered it an improvement over Suicide Squad, writing "Gunn’s distinct and self-assured vision, which he’s said was left untouched and unbothered by studio interference, puts The Suicide Squad alongside the very best of modern comic-book filmmaking. His film, which now comes with an all-important 'The' at the beginning of its title, functions both as a sequel and a fresh start." Brian Truitt of USA Today gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4 and said "The Suicide Squad shifts superhero movies into a hilarious, gory and exceedingly bonkers new direction but writer/director James Gunn still makes time to show one goofy supervillain making sure another's buckled up for a plane ride headed for certain doom" and also said that the film "is a bloody marvel that blows up the superhero genre." Justin Chang from Los Angeles Times stated: "After 2016's ugly, bludgeoning Suicide Squad, I couldn't imagine liking - and could barely stomach the idea of seeing - another movie called Suicide Squad. I'm delighted to be proven wrong", and called the film "redemption for James Gunn and DC". Richard Trenholm of CNET gave the film a positive review and praised it for its themes, writing "This irreverent comic book movie takes shots at very big and serious themes, raging against Western imperialism, American foreign policy and government deception as it indicts interference in foreign countries. Representing this chilling bureaucratic evil, Amanda Waller emerges as perhaps the most hateful villain in the DC universe — certainly the coldest."
Alonso Duralde of the TheWrap wrote: "The Suicide Squad is by no means perfect, but like the Deadpool movies, it's a showcase for what can happen when a superhero movie is allowed to be sprightly, self-aware, and sardonic while also indulging in hard-R violence, gore, and language. Gunn's latest creation is not without moments that drag, but when it pops, it pops brilliantly." Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt gave the film a C+ grade and wrote: "The script, accordingly, herks and jerks along with a sort of forced-festive glee, its mounting body count buffeted by goofball banter and pounding soundtrack cues. A good half of the jokes don't land, but unlike his predecessor's joyless slog, Gunn's version at least celebrates the nonsense." Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, and called it "a long, loud, often enjoyable and amusing film that blitzes your eyeballs and eardrums and covers all the bases."
== Themes and analysis ==
Some critics have interpreted The Suicide Squad as a critique and even a parody of American foreign policy and noted some anti-imperialist themes, which was arguably done in greater extent than the film's predecessor. Noah Berlatsky of Foreign Policy compares the rationale of the Suicide Squad's intervention in the Corto Maltese civil war to the 2003 invasion of Iraq on the grounds of an anti-American regime purportedly gaining access to and weaponizing a destructive force such as Starro. He also notes that American interference in Corto Maltese is "as every bit as disastrous as the 2003 Iraq invasion," also commenting that The Suicide Squad depicts the U.S. government as "bumbling" and "corrupt", citing the squad's accidental slaughter of the very fighters they were supposed to protect and Amanda Waller's desire to cover up America's role in Project Starfish and ambivalence towards Starro's rampage. Reuben Baron of CBR.com compares the torture and experimentation of Corto Maltese civilians in Project Starfish to the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal and allegations of prisoner torture at Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He opines that the evil actions of Silvio Luna's regime and Starro, while heinous, are "just symptomatic of the ultimate villain of The Suicide Squad: the United States government," describing Peacemaker's betrayal of the team as "misguided patriotism", and that the "heroes in this movie are those who are willing to defy the orders given to them by the government". Lucy Nichols of Counter Fire writes that the film "bizarrely, openly critiques American imperialism in Latin America", and like Baron, comments that The Suicide Squad is unusual among superhero films with its direct criticism of the U.S. government and military.
== Future ==
=== Spin-offs ===
Gunn began working on a spin-off series featuring Peacemaker while completing work on The Suicide Squad. In January 2021, Gunn said he had ideas for more television spin-offs beyond Peacemaker. DC Films president Walter Hamada said a month later that they had plans for more projects with Gunn, and Safran said there was potential for more spin-offs based on Suicide Squad members such as Ratcatcher and Bloodsport if a filmmaker had a unique vision for them. Gunn said in February that he did not necessarily intend to write and direct every The Suicide Squad spin-off himself, like he did for Peacemaker. On November 10, 2022, Stallone confirmed that he would be returning to the franchise as King Shark, though he did not specify what project he would appear in.
==== TV series (Peacemaker) ==== 
While completing work on The Suicide Squad during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gunn began writing a spin-off television series centered on the origins of Peacemaker. In September 2020, HBO Max ordered Peacemaker straight-to-series, with Gunn writing all eight episodes and directing several of them. Cena stars as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker, with Agee and Holland also reprising their respective film roles of Economos and Harcourt. Gunn and Safran executive produce the series, which is set to debut in January 2022. HBO Max renewed the series for a second season a month later, with Gunn set to write and direct all episodes.
==== Untitled spin-off series ====
Gunn revealed in January 2022 that he was developing a new television project for DC, and it was confirmed to be based on a character from The Suicide Squad at the end of the month. HBO Max had not greenlit the series, for which writing had yet to begin, but the streaming service was said to be "high" on the idea based on Gunn's enthusiasm for it. The next month, Gunn said that they had been "working heavily" on the series and it had "advanced a lot", and said more details should be revealed soon. The series was reported to feature Amanda Waller in May 2022, but Gunn stated a month later that the series was separate from a potential Amanda Waller project though there would be "some blending" of characters from Peacemaker in the series.
==== TV series (Waller) ====
A spin-off series featuring Amanda Waller was revealed in May 2022, with Christal Henry writing and serving as executive producer alongside Gunn and Safran. Davis was in negotiations to reprise her role and also executive produce the series, which was expected to build off Waller's appearances in Peacemaker which publicly revealed her work with the Suicide Squad. The series was revealed to be titled Waller in January 2023 and will be released before the second season of Peacemaker.
=== Possible sequel ===
In July 2021, Gunn said he had ideas for a sequel film that would go in a different direction from just assembling a new Suicide Squad team. In June 2022, Gunn said there had been discussions about a sequel to The Suicide Squad and he was considering it for his next feature film, but his focus was on television for the foreseeable future following his positive experience making Peacemaker.
== Awards ==
Award 	Date of ceremony	Category 	Recipient(s) 	Result 	Ref(s)
Golden Trailer Awards	July 22, 2021 	Best Summer 2021 Blockbuster Trailer	"No Problemo", Warner Bros.	Nominated	
Golden Trailer Awards	July 22, 2021 	Best Summer 2021 Blockbuster Trailer	"Rebellion", Warner Bros. 	Nominated	
 	 	 	 	 	
==References==
==External links==
* 
* 
Category:Films
Category:2020s films
Category:Superhero films
Category:Fantasy films
Category:Science fiction films
Category:Sequels
Category:2020s superhero films
Category:2020s vigilante films
Category:2021 films
Category:American fantasy films
Category:American prison films
Category:American science fiction films
Category:American sequel films
Category:American superhero films
Category:American vigilante films
Category:Atlas Entertainment films
Category:DC Films Multiverse
Category:English-language films
Category:Films based on works by Paul Dini
Category:Films directed by James Gunn
Category:Films shot in Atlanta
Category:Films shot in Panama
Category:Films with screenplays by James Gunn
Category:Suicide Squad (film series)
Category:Warner Bros. films
Category:2021 American sequel films
Category:2021 American films
ES:El Escuadrón Suicida
Category:Blockbusters
Category:Action
Category:Comedy
Category:Fantasy
Category:Crime
Category:Films starring Margot Robbie
Category:Films starring Idris Elba
Category:Films starring John Cena
Category:Pages containing Mature Content
Category:Films starring Sean Gunn
Category:Films starring Peter Capaldi
Category:Films starring Michael Rooker
Category:Films scored by John Murphy (composer)
Category:Films starring Viola Davis
Category:Films starring Sylvester Stallone
Category:Films starring Nathan Fillion