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.
