Suicide Squad and the Emerging DC Cinematic Universe

If you’re a DC Comics fan and you haven’t seen the cast photo of the Suicide Squad released by the film’s director David Ayer a few days ago, then what are we even doing here?!

Sorry, I kid.

Anyway, if you haven’t seen it, then gaze upon the strange glory that is the Suicide Squad/Task Force X!

 

Yeah, soak it all in!

In case you were wondering who the hell all these people are and who they’re playing, starting from the far left: Slipknot (Adam Beach, though the character still isn’t officially confirmed), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Katana (Karen Fukuhara), Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), Col. Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and El Diablo (Jay Hernandez).

Missing from the photo is Viola Davis as Amanda “The Wall” Waller, the ruthless taskmaster of the Squad, but I’m sure her official image is a’comin’. The photo dropped on the heels of Ayer releasing an image of Jared Leto’s Joker, who is pretty much one of the antagonists of the film though definitely not the only one. IMDB lists Ike Barinholtz as Dr. Hugo Strange, Raymond Olubawale as King Shark, Scott Eastwood as Steve Trevor, Jim Parrack as Deathstroke, Ben Affleck as Batman, and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor as well. There are also roles yet to be confirmed, notably the casting of Common as…a character. Some of these casting decisions may be wrong even on the site since Fukuhara is listed as Plastique (the villain she was originally rumored to play) instead of Katana, so Lord knows what information is going to start rolling out over the next year.

Yeah, Suicide Squad won’t be out until August 2016, the followup to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice due for release on March 25, 2016 that will supposedly star every DC hero ever as a precursor to the real Justice League movie, parts 1 and 2, out in 2017 and 2019 respectively. So, before we really get to know the heroes, we’ll get to know a whole group of villains/anti-heroes first!

Wait, what?

I’ll be honest, the Warner Bros. strategy of throw everything at the audience is one hell of a gamble. Not that it couldn’t pay off. Suicide Squad has the potential to hit Guardians of the Galaxy status if the story is good and the characters, ya know, have a little fun. Having Harley Quinn on the team certainly ups the percentage of one-liners and nonsensical dialogue, but she’s also the only bright spot in yet another dark, drab photo for a DC movie. You look at that photo and your eyes go to Harley first. I mean, seriously, they couldn’t at least put Enchantress in a brighter outfit? They’re basing a lot of these looks on the New 52 versions of the characters in the comics, so you could at least give Enchantress a slick green hoodie dress. Also, what the hell is she actually wearing? I’m no authority on fashion, but I don’t think crazy-pants-bog-witch-gypsy is the best choice, stylistically, for missions that may involve more than standing in the background looking weird. Besides, Harley’s already got the market cornered on impractical outfits. Booty shorts and high-healed boots? Yup, one teacup short of a china hutch. It’s worth noting, though, that Margot Robbie owns that photo. Amidst all the serious faces because serious, she’s going to smile her way into our hearts…hopefully.

Given the bloated cast and the team with which we’re dealing, it’s all but inevitable that one of them dies before the first act. The Squad, as a means of ensuring compliance with the missions, are surgically implanted with explosives with Waller’s finger always hovering over the button to make them go KABOOM! And Waller is known for her effective “make-an-example-of-disposable-villains” routine, which is all but guaranteed to happen when one of these guys tries to bail during a mission. This is textbook stuff, but it might be fun to see who bites it first. Hint: could be Slipknot, but you didn’t hear it from me.

My biggest concern is that it just feels a little…small. Akinnuoye-Agbaje is playing Killer Croc and yet there’s something disappointing about the fact that he just looks like a regular-sized dude-mutant who could be the cousin of Super Mario’s goombas. I know DC and Warner Bros. are going for the “grounded” versions, but you have a meta human on a team with a woman who wields a sword inhabited by her dead husband’s soul and another woman who uses magic – a concept that’s still on shaky ground since Constantine may not make it to a second season. These are big personalities whose power sets leave a huge impact on the heroes they regularly face. They should physically reflect that as well. Would it be too much to ask for an oversized mallet and hyenas for Harley instead of a Louisville slugger?

But these are just surface responses to one picture. As I’ve learned, nothing about the film industry is set in stone and what we see now could be completely different in a year or so. I guess what I’m saying is I’m at least intrigued by the movie’s prospects. I give Ayer props for the diverse casting, but it all comes down to opening weekend and whether the performances match the hype.

Amanda Waller the Only Hold Out in Suicide Squad Cast – Typical

With the release date of August 5th, 2016 looming on the horizon and an April, 2015 start for shooting already in place, it was about time that a cast was announced for Suicide Squad, the third film in what will be Warner Bros. and DC’s Cinematic Universe following Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Yes, we’ve been bombarded with rumored cameo after rumored appearance of every hero and villain in the DC Universe for Bats vs Supes, but now we have some confirmation for the next film in the franchise and the cast is definitely interesting.

The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X, is a group of villains in the DCU put together to go on deadly missions for ARGUS under the ever watchful eye of Amanda “The Wall” Waller. Some are in it for the redemption while others just figure it’s exchanging one prison for another. They’re at Waller’s beck and call and if someone should think of breaking ranks and running off, the explosives grafted onto their spines tend to keep them on the straight and narrow…so to speak.

The film will be written and directed by David Ayer, best known for movies like Training Day, End of Watch, The Fast and the Furious, and Fury. Warner Bros. President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Greg Silverman, said of Ayer and the cast:

We look forward to seeing this terrific ensemble, under Ayer’s amazing guidance, give new meaning to what it means to be a villain and what it means to be a hero.

 

Here’s the official cast thus far:

Will Smith – Deadshot

Margot Robbie – Harley Quinn

Jared Leto – The Joker

Jai Courtney – Captain Boomerang

Cara Delevingne – Enchatress

Tom Hardy – Rick Flagg

So, yeah, Warner Bros. isn’t skimping on the star power, that’s for sure. Rumors still persist that Jesse Eisenberg will reprise his role as Lex Luthor in the film as well, which could make sense if they were setting up the political angle Luthor is often steered towards since it gives him and even more insidious position as a politician draped in the American flag while conducting less than legal operations on the side. For Superman killing purposes, of course.

The inclusion of the Joker gives me reason to believe that the movie might follow a similar narrative to the direct-to-video movie Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014) that featured several of the same heroes in the cast breaking into Arkham Asylum to extract information from the Riddler’s cane. The storyline eventually crosses paths with Batman’s B-plot about getting information about a dirty bomb Joker planted somewhere in Gotham. I could see Ayer taking inspiration from this since I don’t think Joker would ever be an actual member of Suicide Squad. He’s more of a reason to bring Harley into the fold, though it’s worth assuming that he’ll be at least one of the primary antagonists. The other, of course, being the squad’s creator, Amanda Waller.

Waller remains the holdout in terms of the main cast, though it’s rumored that Warner Bros. is looking at Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, and Oprah Winfrey with Winfrey possibly being their first choice. So…I really hope it isn’t Oprah. Unless the idea is to get a lot of free promotion out of Oprah’s name and brand, which I wouldn’t put it past the company, I think her being in the film would be a huge case of stunt casting. I know Oprah has quite a few dramatic roles under her belt, but I just don’t see her pulling off the pragmatic malice of Waller. Although, if she does end up getting cast. I imagine the Book Of The Month reading is going to start looking very different.

For my money’s worth, Spencer or Davis would make a great Waller, but I could also see Alfre Woodard, Angela Bassett who took on the role in Green Lantern, Pam Grier who played her on Smallville, or even the woman who voiced Waller in the DC Animated tv shows and movies, CCH Pounder. All of them are phenomenal actresses and would bring the right amount of badassery needed to pull off the role.

Until then we can only speculate, though I know the question we all have in our minds is whether Jared Leto will be as memorable of a Joker as Caesar Romero?

But what do you think of the casting choices and who do you think would make the best Amanda Waller?