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The original Suicide Squad movie, which arrived in theaters back in 2016, was a substantial success at the box office, as well as an abysmal failure with critics. It was clear that there would be a sequel, but some changes would have to be made in order to enhance the quality of the franchise. Warner Bros. looked to The Accountant director Gavin O’Connor to take over the follow-up film, and there were many reports that stated his new direction for the franchise tied things into the world of Black Adam, the rival of Shazam. Now, a couple of years after those reports surfaced, it looks like they’ve finally been confirmed, even though that iteration of the Squad no longer exists.
After being briefly let go by Marvel Studios, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn took over as the filmmaker behind The Suicide Squad, which will be both a sequel to the David Ayer film, as well as a soft reboot of the series. Black Adam won’t be included in Gunn’s version of the upcoming sequel, but a piece in Empire Magazine about the film confirms that the ancient character, played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, was indeed set to be the villain in a previous version.
Instead of taking on the role of the antagonist in The Suicide Squad, Black Adam will be starring in his own solo film, which is set to begin production sometime in the near future. This will likely set up a conflict with Zachary Levi’s Shazam! that can be resolved in a future film.
There will likely be a central villain in The Suicide Squad, but what makes the franchise unique is that all of the characters are villains in their own right, even though they’re taking on the role of the protagonists. With this in mind, Gunn knew he had the freedom to do whatever he wanted to the entire band of characters.
“I think you know, from pretty close to the beginning, that all of the Guardians are good – apart from Nebula, who’s the outlier,” Gunn said. “But in The Suicide Squad, some of the characters end up being good, some end up being terrible. They don’t just get in fights and say they’re going to kill each other, they actually do get in fights and kill each other. You really don’t know who’s going to live and who’s going to die. I was given full freedom to kill anyone – and I mean anyone – by DC.”
Are you looking forward to seeing The Suicide Squad hitting theaters next year? Are you disappointed that Black Adam won’t be the villain? Let us know in the comments!
The Suicide Squad arrives on August 6, 2021.