It’s a very, very busy day in the Suicide Squad camp (when is it not?), with a series of set reports finding their way online ahead of the movie’s theatrical release in early August.
Those who have been keeping pace with Warner Bros.’ huge marketing push for the David Ayer thriller will know fine well that we’ve already been treated to a multitude of TV spots, clips and eye-popping images. But today, those set reports double down on the gleefully evil characters at the heart of Suicide Squad, with /Film profiling each member of Task Force X.
Beyond that, Collider quizzed Ayer about the involvement of a certain Caped Crusader. Yes, those Toronto set photos may have spoiled the surprise cameo of Ben Affleck’s Batman, but here, the filmmaker assures fans that there’s still plenty of surprises in store – which also allowed Ayer to present the World’s Greatest Detective in a slightly different light.
“All the Batman movies have been from Batman’s point of view. He’s the good guy. He’s the hero of his own movie in all the movies we’ve seen. If you look at what Bruce Wayne has done in creating the Batman persona, his idea was to terrorize criminals. It’s sort of psychological warfare against criminals. This wraith that comes in the night and attacks and pulls criminals from society. For the first time, we’re seeing Batman from the point of view of the criminals and he’s freaking scary.”
When it comes to those bios, El Diablo and Slipknot are pitched as The Firepower and The Mystery, respectively, though precious few details were shared about each member at this time. For now, check out what David Ayer had to say about his roster of anti-heroes. Producers Karen Fukuhara, Andy Horowitz and Richard Suckle also weigh in with their two cents.
Amanda Waller:
“As bad as she may be, and I say the word bad because she’s forcing people against their will, she also has a very distinct point of view and she’s doing it for what, in her mind, is the right reason. […] You don’t fuck with her because the consequences are worse than what she was asking you to do. That’s really the best thing I can say.”
Rick Flag:
“[Flag] works for Amanda Waller, which means he has to do whatever Amanda Waller says. Not necessarily an A-level assignment on the surface, but he’s playing the parent to the class of clowns and the unruly kids, and Joel plays it beautifully. […] He has to be able to manage all those relationships and personalities, and their energies and attitudes in a way that ultimately will get the job done, which makes his job very difficult.”
Katana:
“[Katana is] not into fighting for herself, that’s the giri-ninjo part. It’s for someone else. And when someone doesn’t care about her own well-being, to kill someone else and to protect someone, that makes her the scariest one. Try fighting someone that doesn’t care about what the outcome is for them, you know? You’re going against someone who’s going to give it their all no matter how many times you shoot at them. That’s why she’s so badass.”
Deadshot:
“He’s a bad guy. They are all bad guys. That’s the beauty of this. That’s the fun of the genre. I think Will is incredibly versatile and can handle any kind of role you throw at him.”
Boomerang:
“It is a lot of fun to see Boomerang, who is sort of the most villainous of all these characters,” teased Ayer. “This has been a blast creating this absolutely out-of-control, force-of-nature with Jai. In character paradigms, he’s evil-chaotic.”
Killer Croc:
There’s some beautiful moments in the movie: tender moments, and unpredictable moments, and gentle moments, humorous moments. And those are all whispers of who he was as Waylon Jones. But certainly the pain and the loneliness, you can see it in his eyes. There’s decisions that he has to make along the journey whether he’s going to continue that solo, lonesome thing, or is he going to find a family? It’s a big moment for him.
Enchantress:
At the end of the day she’s a witch, and I think, what would a contemporary modern-day witch look like? And so, for us I think trying to take her old look, which of course is closer to right here, and contemporize it and make it a little bit darker and a little more witchlike, I think, a little more grounded, a little more Goth. So this is what we came up with.
Harley Quinn:
She’s freaking cool. She represents so many dichotomies in today’s world where everything is so sensitive and you can’t talk about anything or represent anything and you can’t do anything. She doesn’t care. She transcends everything. That’s what is so fascinating about her. She’s so many things, and such a powerful woman who is living life on her own terms and so honestly in the moment. And, a person who has an incredible joy in the moment. It’s great to be able to work with that character. Margot is kicking her out of the park.
The Joker:
He’s a business man. He’s crazy of course, and he kills people, but he’s super right. He’s running a business. If you could imagine the head of any successful corporation, he runs his business that way. He just happens to be a psychopath. He’s very, very conscientious of his business and he’s also very conscientious of the way he dresses. Style is a really big part of this Joker. It would be important to him to know what next year’s Prada would be like because he may want to have it a year before everybody else. He sets trends and that’s a really cool character and I really think you haven’t seen the version of this Joker ever before, and of course there have been great people and great versions of the character.
Suicide Squad storms theaters on August 5. Are you ready to indulge in David Ayer’s ensemble flick? Let us know by commenting below.
