Second time’s a charm.
Jared Leto and Margot Robbie starred alongside Will Smith in Suicide Squad. It was a box office hit although it was heavily criticized by fans and critics alike. It was like people just went to see it for Robbie, who is perfect as Harley Quinn. She took her role as the sexy criminal even further with last month’s Birds of Prey film, which had a rough opening week but recovered down the line. DC is still chugging along with its cinematic universe, which is splintered and uninviting at this point. Their films that exist outside of their connected universe (such as Joker and the new Batman film) look to be pushing DC back in the right direction though. The company hopes that The Suicide Squad, a spiritual sequel to the previous film, will help that push.
James Gunn, who was famously fired then re-hired by Disney, joined the DC ranks before he returned to Marvel for Guardians of the Galaxy 3. Gunn took to Instagram to announce the end of filming for The Suicide Squad, and got pretty candid about his experience making the film. “And that’s a wrap on #TheSuicideSquad,” he wrote as a caption. “My father died two weeks before we started filming and my dog died two weeks before the end. It was a hard, hard time in my life and yet the most fulfilling time I’ve ever had making a movie. The professionalism, talent, compassion and kindness of this cast and crew inspired me every day.” The Suicide Squad stars Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, John Cena, Pete Davidson, and more. It is slated for release next Summer.