Suicide Squad 2 is happening. The original film made plenty of coin at the box office despite a lot of critical bashing. When a movie makes money, you can bet that the studio starts thinking of a sequel as soon as possible. But, how soon could Suicide Squad 2 make its way to the big screen? Well, if one of the cast members is to be believed, we should see Suicide Squad 2 in less than two years.
Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag in the movie) has said that the sequel could start shooting next year. That’s not an official confirmation but it would line up with what we already know. DC Films wants to get Suicide Squad 2 out quickly in order to capitalize on the film’s popularity. Yes, even if you didn’t like the movie, it’s hard to argue with the numbers. People showed up for the film and it still has a lot of cultural resonance thanks to the popularity of Harley Quinn. They have Suicide Squad 2 scheduled for a 2019 release, so they’ll need to start shooting next year to make that deadline.
The only big question about the production is who will be the driving creative force? No director is officially attached though Mel Gibson has been rumored in the past. Adam Cozad (The Legend of Tarzan) is writing the screenplay so it will be interesting to see how much the sequel sticks to David Ayer’s established tone and aesthetic. Plus, everyone knows that the original movie was highly reconfigured in post-production. Will the sequel be allowed some more creative freedom in the editing room?
And What About the DCEU?
What’s interesting is how Suicide Squad 2 is going to look after Wonder Woman. The success of that film is going to alter how DC approaches their entire cinematic universe. Also, Suicide Squad feels like a series with very little connection to the rest of the DCEU proper. Is DC Films going to treat the series much like Marvel has done with Guardians of the Galaxy? Or will there be an attempt to rope in more of the bigger DCEU plotlines to this movie?
Regardless, Suicide Squad 2 has a lot of work cut out for itself. There are existing elements that are good – the characters and their style – but the story and actual construction of the movie have to be a whole lot better than its predecessor. Fingers crossed.
