Skip to main content

Taika Waititi may join a team of fellow MCU alums in James Gunn’s Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad could make the DC Extended Universe even more Marvel-ous. According to Deadline, Thor: Ragnarok’s own Taika Waititi is in talks to join The Suicide Squad, which will be directed by Guardians of the Galaxy helmer James Gunn.

There’s no word yet on which character Waititi might be playing in the movie or how big his role will be. Still, Waititi’s addition to the cast would help make The Suicide Squad into an unofficial Marvel Cinematic Universe reunion. In addition to Gunn and Waititi, The Suicide Squad will feature Idris Elba, who played the Heimdall in the MCU, and Nathan Fillion, who made cameos in both of Gunn’s Marvel flicks. Dave Bautista, who appears as Drax in the MCU, was reportedly approached to appear in The Suicide Squad, but those discussions seem to have stalled.

Gunn signed on with The Suicide Squad after Disney fired the director after some of the one-time Troma filmmaker’s old, offensive tweets resurfaced. Disney has since brought Gunn back into the fold, but say that shooting on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 won’t begin until Gunn’s obligations to DC and Warner Bros. have been filled. Previously, Warner Bros. hired The Avengers director Joss Whedon to conduct uncredited reshoots on the DCEU’s big crossover flick, Justice League, in an attempt to capture some of that Marvel magic.

Technically, The Suicide Squad is a sequel to the 2016 DC Extended Universe film Suicide Squad, although Gunn says that his movie is more of a soft reboot of the franchise than a direct follow-up. Margot Robbie, who played Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad and the upcoming Birds of Prey, is expected to return for the sequel, as is Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, and Joel Kinnaman. They’ll be joined by Squad newcomers Elba, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Flula Borg, and Steve Agee. Other Suicide Squad veterans, including Will Smith, who played Deadshot in the original film, will not appear in the movie

The Suicide Squad follows the adventures of a group of supervillains who agree to undertake dangerous missions from the United States government in exchange for reduced prison sentences. The movie will be released in theaters on August 6, 2021.

Editors' Recommendations

Chris Gates
Contributor
Christopher Gates lives in Los Angeles, CA and writes about movies, TV, video games, and other pop culture curiosities. In…
The best movies on Max right now
Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson as two lighthouse keepers in The Lighthouse.

Max is a go-to platform for streaming the best movies thanks to its accessibility and its countless hours' worth of content. Beyond quantity, the streamer's greatest strength is the diversity of the films in its catalog.

Every kind of fan will find their niches catered to, with Max's library spanning fantasy, sci-fi, comedies, dramas, and more. Still, the sheer amount of content available can intimidate new subscribers. Thankfully, this monthly-updated guide combs through the service's selection to highlight some of the best movies to watch on Max right now.

Read more
Everything you need to know about Yellowstone season 5, part 2
Kevin Costner in Yellowstone.

Kevin Costner recently unveiled the first look at his upcoming multipart Western Horizon: An American Saga. However, for the vast majority of Yellowstone fans, the only saga they want is the conclusion of the Dutton family's story and a glimpse of what comes next. Costner reinvigorated his career by headlining Yellowstone as John Dutton, but his clashes with Paramount Network and showrunner Taylor Sheridan have left Costner's future with the franchise in question.

Although we're still several months away from the return of the series, we're sharing everything we know about Yellowstone season 5, part 2. And we'll keep updating this post when anything newsworthy comes up.
Will Kevin Costner return for Yellowstone season 5, part 2?

Read more
Everything you need to know about Yellowstone season 6
The cast of Yellowstone.

Since its premiere in 2018, Yellowstone has been a breakout hit for The Paramount Network and one of the most popular shows on TV. Taylor Sheridan's modern Western also revitalized Kevin Costner's career by placing him in the lead as John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton family, who own the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, one of the largest ranches in Montana.

The fifth season of Yellowstone premiered in 2022, but the future of the series and the franchise were called into question when reports emerged that Costner was leaving the show and Paramount Network had already ordered a sequel series that will continue without Costner's involvement. To bring everyone up to speed, here's everything you need to know about the future of Yellowstone.
Will there be a sixth season of Yellowstone?
Sort of, but not something labeled as Yellowstone season 6. The six remaining episodes of Yellowstone are still technically part of the fifth season, or season 5B, as Paramount has called it. But at the same time that Paramount confirmed the end of Yellowstone, the studio also announced that a contemporary spinoff is on the way that will feature many of the show's current cast members.

Read more