We’ve been wondering for a while now how closely James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad would stick to the established template established by David Ayer in the first installment. An educated guess would lead you to believe that the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker would discard the majority of the cast, characterizations and aesthetics established by his predecessor, and Gunn seems to have done just that.
Only Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis and Jai Courtney are returning from Suicide Squad, something that’s probably irritating Jared Leto to no end. In fact, even without the intensely Method Leto on set, The Suicide Squad has already built one of the most eclectic and downright strange ensemble casts that’s ever been seen, with the likes of John Cena, Idris Elba, Peter Capaldi, Michael Rooker, Pete Davidson and Taika Waititi all set to appear.
It would be safe to assume that Gunn is set to take his version of The Suicide Squad in an entirely different direction then, especially considering the rumored plot leaks that have made their way online in recent weeks, and now David Ayer has confirmed via social media that the movie isn’t a direct sequel to his, but is instead a total reinvention of the property.
It’s not a sequel it’s a reinvention and @JamesGunn is going to absolutely knock it out of the park. I’m cheering every step a way. https://t.co/MehKt7rvLO
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) December 23, 2019
Yes that is correct – some characters and elements will be used but @JamesGunn is reinventing the universe. Everybody recognizes the immense potential of the franchise. https://t.co/iiWSKPI17P
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) December 23, 2019
It’s ironic hearing Ayer mention the potential of the franchise, seeing how his Suicide Squad was hacked to pieces in post-production after the studio decided to take over. Given the way he handled the similarly-tricky and unknown Guardians of the Galaxy over at Marvel, Gunn is about the safest pair of hands that DC and Warner Bros. could have found to direct The Suicide Squad, a team-based comic book movie about a group of weirdos.