Tag: The Suicide Squad

  • ‘The Suicide Squad’: James Gunn Reveals the Villains Who Didn’t Make the Cut

    ‘The Suicide Squad’: James Gunn Reveals the Villains Who Didn’t Make the Cut

    When it got announced a few years ago the James Gunn would be writing and directing the next Suicide Squad film, many fans knew he would dig deep within the depths of the DC Universe for the best possible candidates. For a while, we could only speculate. Set photos would only offer a glimpse at the roster. It wasn’t until DC Fandome that we officially got confirmation on who joined the infamous squad. Gunn lived up to the expectations. He is using characters like Javelin, Savant, Weasel, Peacemaker, Bloodsport, and even a reimagined version of Arm-Fall-Off-Boy in his film. It seems there were a lot more candidates that didn’t cut. Well, not yet, at least.

    When asked by a fan via Twitter, the director opened the flood gate, revealing he’d kept a folder on his computer with candidates for the squad and shared a few that didn’t make it. In the thread, we got the confirmations that Livewire, Punch, Jewelee, Black Spider, and even Deathstroke almost appeared in the sequel. The latter has been a popular choice for fans. In the rest of the thread, he also revealed some familiar villains that include Man-Bat, Plastique, Chemo, Killer Frost, Mister Freeze, KG-Beast, GunHawk, Knockout, Rainbow Creature, and even Solomon Grundy. You can check out the Twitter thread here:

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1411386522704637954

    While some of these great characters didn’t make that cut, that isn’t an entirely bad thing and won’t be cut down like an overgrown lawn. If Gunn was to return for a future Suicide Squad film he’d most definitely revisit that folder for some more of the best and brightest that DC can offer.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Peacemaker’: ‘Bridgerton’s Freddie Stroma Replaces Chris Conrad in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Spin-Off

    ‘Peacemaker’: ‘Bridgerton’s Freddie Stroma Replaces Chris Conrad in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Spin-Off

    It looks like there is a cast changing happening with the upcoming The Suicide Squad spin-off, Peacemaker. Bridgerton‘s Freddie Stroma will take over the role of Vigilante from Chris Conrad in the HBO Max series. He will play Adrian Chase, who is a hand-to-hand combatant and marksman. Conrad is reportedly leaving the project due to creative differences, but no details are given on what occurred. The series was ordered straight-to-series and will premiere with eight episodes on HBO Max sometime next year. It will tell the origins of John Cena’s Peacemaker character who will make his debut in this year’s The Suicide Squad.

    They still have kept a lot about the series’ plot under wraps and it is uncertain how it will lead into the upcoming film. James Gunn has openly discussed that no character is safe. So, it is uncertain if Cena‘s character might even survive the events as they face off against Starro. Still, the series has been filming for some time and it is surprising to see Conrad’s replacement announced so late into production. Either he already films a few sequences that will get reshot, or Vigilante is only featured in a handful of episodes later down the line. Still, it seems a lot is still happening on the project before Gunn moves on to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the Disney+ Christmas Special.

    Source: Deadline

  • James Gunn Teases a Potential ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2

    James Gunn Teases a Potential ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2

    James Gunn is slowly expanding the DC universe in interesting ways. We’re about to get a darkly twisted incarnation with his adaptation of The Suicide Squad that will see the misfit team face an unlikely challenge. He will introduce some of DC’s most obscure yet creative characters. It includes the addition of Charlton Comics’ icon Peacemaker, who will be played by John Cena. The character was first introduced in Fightin’ 5 #40 back in 1966. The creation by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette will soon become a household name, as James Gunn also started working on an original HBO Max series that explores his story before the events of the upcoming film. It looks like Gunn has some plans for a future season, as he teased on Twitter that there is one more character he didn’t get a chance to include in this season.

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1392683838619410432

    Of course, Gunn doesn’t reveal which character he is thinking of, but there is a likely chance it might be another one from Charlton Comics. Some of the bigger additions come from the iconic publishing company that ran from 1945 until 1986. peacemaker season 2. It would be interesting to see which characters Gunn wants to explore, as there are some really interesting candidates. We could see him add Captain Atom or Question into the series. He could even explore the original Blue Beetle, Dan Garret. He would be an interesting contrast to Peacemaker. Whatever the director has planned, t is great to see HBO Max and DC explore these minor characters and give them the spotlight to tell stories, we’d otherwise miss out on.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Suicide Squad’ Trailer Reveals a Startling Threat

    ‘The Suicide Squad’ Trailer Reveals a Startling Threat

    Ever since the first reveal at DC FanDome, fans have been eagerly awaiting a new look at The Suicide Squad. The film will see the return of Task Force X. We’ll get to see some familiar and new faces that won’t survive the experience. The film will follow the newly formed squad, as they’re dropped into a South American country to fight something that is probably out of their leagues. Luckily, these kinds of trailers have a lot of secrets. Even better, we happened to notice a few curious details that might tease the film’s story.

     

     

    The first notable detail is from the beginning of the trailer. We see the squad en route to free a capture Quinn, who seems to be a key member of the team. Waller briefly glances at Harley’s rap sheet. It includes a new mugshot and some recent additions. Upon these new badges of criminality, eagle-eyed viewers will notice “Vigilantism,” “kidnapping,” and “Extortion.” These crimes were committed by Quinn in the 2020 film Birds of Prey when she frees Cassandra Cain from Prison and proceeds to keep her safe from the sadistic Roman Sionis. This little detail shows that Harley is continuing to move away from Joker, and her character progression continues here. I’m not sure if there was any doubt that there would, but it’s still nice to see.

     

     

    In this very same scene, we get a brief glimpse at a monitor in front of her. The monitor is streaming footage from a plane. It appears to be carrying the team members teased earlier in the trailer. You can make out Savant, Javelin, and what seems to be Rick Flag. There is a good chance they edited this scene to make it look like Harley’s rescue is happening simultaneously. In the footage, we see Javelin on the plane in one piece, but when Harley appears, later on, she’s wielding his spear. It would imply that he died at one point. This slight and easily missed detail is clever to keep us off the film’s timeline.

     

     

    There is a particularly eye-catching scene with Harley Quinn, which presumably could be happening mid-breakout due to her bloody nose. She seems to be surrounded by a wide array of flowers that seem to be blooming behind her. This scene could be reminiscent of Harley’s GCPD jailbreak in which she leads a full-on, one-woman assault on the station to free Cass. Yet, instead of blood, all we see is glitter going off in every possible direction. It might be the return of “Harley Vision” that replaces the actual gore of the sequence with some colorful flourishes.

     

     

    Now, we have to talk about the standout character of King Shark, who is already a bonafide hit. Sylvester Stallone finally confirmed that he is voicing the character, who also had his first voice role in the latest trailer. There will be many comparisons between his character and James Gunn’s other mascot character, Groot. They both serve as the comedic foils for their respective films. He’s sure to be a scene-stealer as he munches and tears his way through the onslaught of foes.

     

     

    Finally, the film gave us our first look at the big bad, Starro the Conqueror. He is an intergalactic starfish who uses his children as mind control devices. They attach to the faces of anyone and take control of their host’s mind. The villain has been rumored since the FanDome event after some eagle-eyed fans caught a glimpse of one of his stars on a soldier’s face, but it was never officially confirmed. John Economos, played by comedian Steve Agee, exclaims that “We’ve got a freaking Kaiju,” which is almost perfect considering this trailer will most likely play alongside Godzilla vs. Kong in theaters.

    The Suicide Squad is set to release in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6th. The film was written and directed by James Gunn. It will star Margot RobbieIdris ElbaJohn Cena, Daniella MelchiorDavid DastmalchianSylvester StalloneJoel KinnamanPeter CapaldiJai CourtneyViola Davis, and so many more as the film sports on the most all-star cast in the comic book genre.

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘The Suicide Squad’ Trailer Confirms Sylvester Stallone as King Shark

    ‘The Suicide Squad’ Trailer Confirms Sylvester Stallone as King Shark

    There has been an ongoing debate about who might be voicing King Shark in James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad. At one point, it was revealed that Taika Waititi had joined the cast. After his performance as Korg in Thor: Ragnarok, he seemed like the perfect person to voice the loveable human shark. Suddenly, Silvester Stallone was confirmed to appear in the film, which made us wonder if he might also be the one voicing the character. Finally, the latest trailer released and King Shark actually has a speaking part. It confirmed that Stallone is indeed the one taking on the loveable maneater’s voice:

     

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1375481778064957440

    He even confirmed it on Instagram shortly after the trailer dropped:

    Overall, the trailer looks like a lot of fun that perfectly blends James Gunn‘s humor with comic book insanity. Just like Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Groot, King Shark will certailny become a fan-favorite once the film releases. Their interpretation of the character is also a departure from the comics. Yes, he was a bloodthirsty shark in the comics, but he’s shown to be quite intelligent. The character already had his live-action debut on The Flash, where they changed his origin. He was a regular man that transformed into a half-man, half-shark, unlike in the comics, where he is the son of a shark god. It’s an interesting departure and will certailny add some humorous yet gory moments throughout the film’s runtime.

    Source: YouTube, Twitter, Instagram (Stallone)

  • HBO Max’s ‘Peacemaker’ Adds Alison Araya and Lenny Jacobson

    HBO Max’s ‘Peacemaker’ Adds Alison Araya and Lenny Jacobson

    Hot off the production of The Suicide SquadJames Gunn got right to work and began writing a series based around Peacemaker. The series would reportedly follow the origin of the character following his debut in the upcoming film. John Cena will reprise the role. Christopher Smith is a man who seeks peace no matter what the cost is. Not much else is known about the series’ story so far, but we did get some early casting announcements. The inclusion of Vigilante is hinting at a Janus Directive-inspired story. Shortly after, we got the casting announcement for Judomaster, whose origins are tied to Charlton comics, where Peacemaker made his debut.

    It looks like they are still rounding out their cast. Variety has revealed that actors Alison Araya and Lenny Jacobson have joined the project in recurring series roles. They only that they will play Amber and Evan, a married couple in the series. Interestingly enough, this isn’t Araya‘s first step into the DC Universe, having played two characters on Arrow.

    Peacemaker is currently set for a January 2022 release exclusively on HBO Max. The project will be written by Gunn, who will direct multiple episodes of the upcoming series. The series cast includes John CenaSteve AgeeDanielle Brooks, Robert PatrickChris ConradNhut Lee, and Annie Chang. It is Gunn’s last project before he starts work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Hopefully, this spin-off’s success could lead to more stories inspired by characters from The Suicide Squad.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Peacemaker’ Reportedly Set for Early 2022 Release

    ‘Peacemaker’ Reportedly Set for Early 2022 Release

    Hot off the production of The Suicide SquadJames Gunn got right to work once more and began writing and developing a series based around John Cena’s Peacemaker. The series would reportedly follow the origin of the character following his debut in the upcoming film. The series will see Cena reprise the role of Christopher Smith, the man who seeks to achieve peace no matter the cost. Not much else is known about the series aside from it being a prequel and the involvement of Vigilante, possibly hinting at a Janus Directive Inspiration, but now it seems we may just know when we’ll be getting a whole lot more Peacemaker.

    During an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, HBO and HBO Max content chief Casey Bloys confirmed that Peacemaker was one of the first DC projects that he greenlit as well as confirming that the series is set to be released in January of 2022. The series has just begun filming and is still adding members to its cast, with them quite recently casting Nhut Lee as the classic Charlton comics character of JudoMaster. Bloys’ full statement from the interview can be seen below and offers some insight into how they’ve begun to shape the DC universe moving forward at WarnerMedia.

    I just started to get involved with the DC content in August. Peacemaker is one of the first shows I greenlit and one of the first shows coming out, in January 2022. It’s a great example of what HBO Max can do with DC content in that we’re producing at al level we haven’t seen DC content on TV do thus far. It’s been one of [WarnerMedia CEO] Ann Sarnoff’s priorities to organize the DC world for exactly what you’re talking about — to make sure that the universe is logical and makes sense. She talks about the flywheel: that the movies speak to the TV shows that speak to the movies — that it’s all connected. There’s a lot of work going on in that at DC and Warner Bros. That is very much something that Ann has made a priority and the company is doing. It’s one of the things in terms of WarnerMedia today vs. Time Warner five years ago, I have regular conversations now with [Warner Bros. film chief] Toby Emmerich and [DC content chief] Jim Lee and we talk about all things in way that never would have been discussed before. That’s probably how you got a little DC over here, a little of DC over there, etc. The idea going forward is that we’re talking with one voice about the DC universe. It’s a really valuable world to have and we want to make sure we’re using it correctly.

    It’ll be interesting to see how Peacemaker helps to bring order to the chaotic DC Universe.

    SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter

     

  • Nhut Le Joins ‘The Suicide Squad’ Spin-Off ‘Peacemaker’ as Judomaster

    Nhut Le Joins ‘The Suicide Squad’ Spin-Off ‘Peacemaker’ as Judomaster

    2021 is going to be a massive year for comic book fans. It also is going to be a great year for James Gunn, who has been working hard on his upcoming DC film, The Suicide Squad. The director still has some time on his hand until he tackles the next entry in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. So, he decided to make an original HBO Max show that focuses on John Cena‘s character Peacemaker, who is set to make his live-action debut in the upcoming film. The spin-off will be produced and written by Gunn, who will also direct multiple episodes.

    The series seems to take a lot of inspiration from the original Charlton Comics with many iconic characters being hinted at through the casting breakdowns. We got the first casting announcements around two months ago so we were hotly anticipating the next bit of news. Well, it has finally arrived, as Nhut Le has joined the production in the role of Judomaster.

    The character has an extensive history and originally premiered in Special War Series #4 all the way back in 1965. As Deadline points out, DC created a new version of the character in Justice League Quarterly #14 in 1994. He originally was a sergeant in the Second World War named Hadley “Rip” Jagger. There was also a female version named Sonia Sato, who made their debut in 2007’s Birds of Prey #100. It is uncertain which version the Groundlings and UCB alum might be playing. Le has played a recurring role on Comedy Central’s The Kroll Show and Disney Channel’s Raven’s Home.

    Source: Variety

  • Funko Leak Reveals Which ‘The Suicide Squad’ Member Gets a Pop

    Funko Leak Reveals Which ‘The Suicide Squad’ Member Gets a Pop

    Some time ago, we found a listing via dis.pops that revealed the many upcoming Funko Pops for WandaVision, the Spider-Man: Miles Morales game, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Now, it looks like they got their hands on another list that includes a variety of collectibles from HamiltonParks and Recreation, Fire Force, Masters of The Universe, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and perhaps the most exciting, The Suicide Squad. Of course, the variety includes their famous Pop! figurines and keychains. Yet, if you take a closer look at the list, it seems not every member of the Suicide Squad is getting a spotlight in this collection.

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CK4PV1-s_jy/?igshid=izbk2vsr3lrx

    Going by the list, Harley Quinn remains the film’s most popular character with two different pops listed. There are some noticeable members missing, which includes Pete Davidson‘s Blackguard, Alice Braga‘s SolSoria, Flula Borg‘s Javelin, and Nathan Fillion‘s TDK. They aren’t the only ones, as even Jai Courtney‘s Captain Boomerang, Michael Rooker‘s Savant, as well as Peter Capaldi‘s The Thinker. It certainly could be a hint at the character’s fate in the story, or they might be included in a future line-up that will be added in the future. There is also the possibility we might get some Funko’s that highlight the way they exit the film. It is surprising they didn’t give the team’s new mascot Weasel, who is played by Sean Gunn, his own figurine. They might be part of the toy company’s new pops focusing on Movie Moments. It’s interesting to see them embracing new ways to expand their figurines.

    Source: Dis.Pops

  • DC’s ‘PEACEMAKER’ May Be Adapting the Janus Directive

    DC’s ‘PEACEMAKER’ May Be Adapting the Janus Directive

    With plot details still being held tightly under wraps by Gunn and company, all we know is that the HBO Max streaming series, Peacemaker, will be a prequel to Gunn’s upcoming film, The Suicide Squad. Recent casting breakdowns tease what we could see unfold in the series which will most likely show us the origin of John Cena’s character, Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker. Some recent character breakdowns have teased the appearance of a few classic characters and the shady organizations they work for.

    In this fresh take from DC, Smith would be reinvented into a Vietnam war criminal and would be sentenced to life in prison for his actions. Smith would be offered early parole for his participation in the Peacemaker Project, a top-secret anti-terrorist task force for the US government that would ultimately be shut down, but wouldn’t stop Christopher from taking up the mantle of Peacemaker and combatting terrorism himself as a one-man army.  This is where the story begins to pick up and where I believe Gunn would be adapting for his upcoming series focusing solely on this character

    Since it was announced that he would be picking up this project, Gunn has praised the work of John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad and mentioned multiple times that he’s based a lot of what we see in those books as the inspiration behind his adaption. Well, Ostrander had another story and that story was The Janus Directive. This story saw multiple top-secret intelligence agencies from the DC Universe pitted against each other including The CBI, lead by one Sarge Steele, who we previously reported may have a role to play in the show. But that isn’t the only group I believe to be present in this and fueling the Janus Directive theory. The Agency, and that is its full name, was another top-secret group that was able to figure out the identity of Peacemaker and coaxed him into their service, but not alone, Peacemaker was also joined by Adrian Chase, aka the Vigilante, another character who’s been confirmed to appear in the upcoming series, to be played by Chris Conrad. Originally I believed that the CBI would be the only agency included but it wasn’t until the breakdown for a new character named “Keeya” was released. The production is looking for a black female, Late 20’s/ Early 30’s, gay supportive but tired wife, reluctantly dealing with her wife’s new government job and the secrecy it requires. We know at least one agency will be present and looking like this could be THE Agency considering the inclusion of Vigilante.

    Here’s where it gets even more interesting though, when the leader of the Agency, Valentina Vostok, left the organization, someone was right there to pick up the pieces. The person was none other than Amanda Waller, who would take the remnants of the agency and turn it into Checkmate, an all-new covert agency. The inclusion of Amanda Waller in this series could lead her to a possible appearance in the show in which we see how Peacemaker came to be on the Suicide Squad after the downfall of the agency, possibly even seeing her fold the Agency into Argus.

     

    Source: The Illuminerdi