‘The Suicide Squad’: The First Trailer Is Wild, And NSFW
At long last, the trailer to James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad has finally been released. As we knew from the initial casting announcements, there aren’t many characters in common with the original film from 2016: Viola Davis is back as Amanda Waller, the government agent who helps assemble the team. Also back is Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, who starred in her own film, 2020’s Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). But Warner Brothers seems to want to distance this film from the original: they are not calling the film “Suicide Squad 2,” but The Suicide Squad. The 2016 film’s official title was Suicide Squad (without the “The”).
Unsurprisingly, the film seems more like a spiritual cousin to James Gunn’s Marvel series, the Guardians Of the Galaxy, which also features a bunch of misfits coming together as family to… well, get something done. And like Guardians, Gunn’s Suicide Squad features Michael Rooker, who we see in the trailer, as well as Gunn’s brother Peter Gunn. Like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, this sequel also features Sylvester Stallone.
Other characters in the film include Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Guardian (John Cena), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) and King Shark (Steve Agee, who also plays the warden of the Belle Reve).
One surprise moment in the trailer might delight long time DC comics fans: there appears to be a battle with a giant starfish. That could be Starro The Conquerer who is, yes, a giant starfish with telepathic powers. And Starro was the first enemy the Justice League of America ever faced, in the pages of The Brave and the Bold issue 28, published in 1959.
The trailer, as we noted, is definitely NSFW. But you can watch it here.
The Suicide Squad will be in theaters in August 2021, and will also be available on HBO Max for 31 days, at no extra cost to subscribers.
