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James Gunn confirms to fans they won't need to watch the original movie to enjoy the new upcoming HBO Max bound version.
A lot of Suicide Squad fans have been wondering if they need to watch the original Suicide Squad movie that was released in 2016, to be able to follow the upcoming sequel. James Gunn, the director of the upcoming Suicide Squad movie set to be released on HBO Max in August, has confirmed that fans will not need to have watched the original 2016 movie to follow along with the new instalment.
The Suicide Squad has become a staple of DC Comics over the years, and was brought to mainstream prominence with the release of the original Suicide Squad movie in 2016. Directed by David Ayer, it wasn’t received well by fans and critics alike, despite grossing a very respectable $746 million at the box office. The backlash was reportedly a result of the studio demanding a heavily cut and edited final version of the theatrical release, that supposedly wasn’t consistent with David Ayer’s original vision for the movie.
It is certainly interesting that despite technically being a sequel to the original movie, James Gunn has seemingly taken more of a soft reboot approach to the upcoming iteration of Suicide Squad.
James Gunn officially confirmed on Twitter that fans won’t need to watch the original movie to enjoy the sequel. A fan asked if he’d be lost watching Gunn’s new version of Suicide Squad without having watched the original – to which Gunn replied with the following:
The most popular characters from the original Suicide movie such as Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman) and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) are all being brought back. While these actors and characters will serve to provide a link to the original movie, they will be supported by a whole host of new actors playing new characters to freshen things up, and establish a new dynamic for the franchise going forward.
The new characters for the upcoming Suicide Squad movie include Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Ratcatcher (Daniela Melchior) and Peacemaker (John Cena). A spinoff Peacemaker show is also in development for HBO Max, John Cena fans may be pleased to know.
In terms of the marketing for the new movie, there has been a specific focus in highlighting the different direction the new Suicide Squad movie is veering towards. James Gunn has confirmed that the new iteration of the movie will be R-Rated, which is a huge departure from the PG-13 rated 2016 Suicide Squad movie, and indeed both of Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
It is clear to see how Warner Bros is attempting to bring the Suicide Franchise back to life with a host of new characters, style and a gory R rating. Clearly the studio is hoping to bring back fans that were disappointed with the original movie while also aiming to capture the imaginations of a brand new audience.
On paper things are certainly looking up. Not long to go now until we all find out how it all pans out!
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