John Ostrander, who created the Suicide Squad comics, recently expressed his excitement over James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Last week, the sequel’s highly anticipated trailer was released.

The Suicide Squad is the standalone sequel to David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. The first installment centered on a secret government agency that recruited incarcerated super-villains for a world-saving mission. Despite grossing $746 million worldwide and being the tenth-highest grossing film of 2016, the DCEU blockbuster’s plot was heavily critiqued and deemed disappointing by many. Since the film’s release, Ayer has revealed that the original vision for Suicide Squad was altered because Warner Bros. wanted the tone to be less gritty and more light-hearted.

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In 2018, Warner Bros. tapped James Gunn to write and direct the sequel. The tenth film in the DCEU will see a group of villains from Belle Reve Hospital join Task Force X and embark on a mission on the enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. The loaded ensemble cast includes Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, John Cena as Peacemaker, and Sylvester Stallone as King Shark. Joel Kinnaman, who is returning to reprise his role as Rick Flag, described the film as childish, violent, and profound. He noted that Gunn didn’t have to compromise his vision and got to create exactly what he wanted.

The Suicide Squad's explosive R-rated trailer was trending on social media and caught the attention of Suicide Squad comics creator John Ostrander. DC Comics posted the writer’s reaction on social media. Ostrander stated, “he couldn’t be more excited” to see the film in theatres and that his initial impression of the bloody trailer was “wow.” Gunn since revealed that Ostrander is a former actor and plays Dr. Fitzgibbon in the movie.

Gunn is currently filming The Suicide Squad series spin-off, Peacemaker, for HBO Max. The upcoming series stars John Cena and will focus on his character, Christopher Smith/Peacemaker. The official logline states that the title character is a mercenary who believes in peace at any cost — “no matter how many people he has to kill to get it." Gunn teased that the show will explore current social issues through the eyes of the world’s biggest douchebag.

The cast of Peacemaker includes Danielle Brooks (Orange Is the New Black), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2), Chris Conrad (Patriot), and Nhut Le (Kroll Show). Earlier this year, Cena stated that the anti-hero Peacemaker is the exact opposite of Bruce Wayne and would prefer living in a messy one-bedroom apartment than a cave or mansion. The spin-off series is eight episodes long and will be released on HBO Max in January 2022.

The Suicide Squad will be available on HBO Max and in theaters starting August 6, 2021.

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Source: DC Comics|Twitter