Suicide Squad could have had a sequel that felt more in line with the original movie than what James Gunn ended up creating. At the moment, there are no plans for the team to come back in the new DC Universe. That is not surprising, as 2021’s The Suicide Squad became a major box office bomb, grossing a measly $168.7 million (via Box Office Mojo). I was disappointed by the movie’s performance, as I quite enjoyed the direction the sequel went in, as well as The Suicide Squad’s cast of characters.
There was a clear tonal change within the franchise, going from the bleaker tone of the 2016 David Ayer film to Gunn’s sequel, which leaned more towards gore and comedic elements. While I enjoyed the second Suicide Squad movie more than the first in every possible way, I also think the change was so big in scale that, instead of course-correcting the franchise, it may have turned many of those who liked the original film away. While I’m excited about DC’s upcoming movies under Gunn, I can’t help but wonder how the original Suicide Squad sequel would have shaped up.
The Suicide Squad’s Original Sequel Plan Sounds Totally Different To The Actual Released Movie
The Story Of the Original Suicide Squad Sequel Has Been Revealed
After spending years thinking about how the original Suicide Squad sequel could have played out, I was surprised to finally learn some concrete story details recently. During an interview with Collider, Gavin O’Connor, who was set to take the reins from Ayer, writing and directing the Suicide Squad sequel, opened up about the project. As imagined, the planned tone of the movie was completely different from Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. In fact, O’Connor was asked to turn his script into a comedy, which he refused to do, so he walked away from the film.
Besides commenting on the tone of the Suicide Squad sequel he wanted to make, the director went on to reveal what it would have been about. According to O’Connor, Suicide Squad 2 would have focused on Will Smith’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ and his relationship with his daughter. I was surprised to find out what was originally planned for the franchise, as Gunn’s The Suicide Squad could not have been farther from it. The movie DC released in theaters had that comedic tone the DC executive asked O’Connor for, and he refused, with Smith’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ replaced by Idris Elba’s Bloodsport.
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Check out Gavin O’Connor’s full quote about his Suicide Squad movie below:
“It’s another example of the dysfunction of our industry. I had a very specific take. They wanted to do it. I think I was probably three-quarters of the way into the script when they brought in a new regime and all the DC people I was working with were gone. I was writing on the lot, I got a little bungalow there; my writing partner and I would just meet there and write every day. There was a knock on the door, and it was the new DC president. He said, ‘So where are you with the script?’ I said ‘It’s almost done,’ and he said ‘Can I read it?’ And I said, ‘Well, you can read it when it’s finished.’ A couple of weeks later, I gave it to him, and he said ‘Can you make it a comedy?’ And I said, ‘That’s not what I wrote, and that’s not the agreement I have with the studio.’ He wanted me to make it into a comedy, and I was like, all right, I guess I won’t be working here.
It was really a father-daughter story with ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ and his daughter.”
Following Up On ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ’s Life Sounds Like An Interesting Premise For A DC Movie
The Character Was One Of Suicide Squad’s Standouts
I think the original concept for the Suicide Squad sequel is interesting, though it might also have had a difficult run at the box office. From a story perspective, I would have loved to see how O’Connor’s plan for the movie would have unfolded. I think Smith’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ was the clear standout from 2016’s Suicide Squad — not counting Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, obviously. So, it was weird not to see him come back for The Suicide Squad. I believe it would have been fitting to make ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ’s role grow in a Suicide Squad sequel.
While most of the characters on the expendable team are villains, the best parts about both Suicide Squad movies were the moments where we could see the actors peel back their characters’ layers, revealing a softer side. The use of ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ’s daughter during the scene where Batman arrests him in 2016’s Suicide Squad is one of the best examples of that. I would have loved to have seen that relationship given more focus in the sequel, with ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ perhaps becoming a full-on hero so that his daughter can see him as someone to look up to.
The Suicide Squad Helped Put The DC Team Back On The Right Movie Track, But The Unmade Version Of The Sequel Will Always Be A Fascinating Idea
The First Movie In The Franchise Became Controversial
While the movie might not have had a great box office run, I loved Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. I felt it was more entertaining than the first film and made us care for the characters more. That said, I am still fascinated by the idea of how Smith’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ could have returned and had a major role to play. To this day, I still want to see more of that iteration of the character. Sadly, the original Suicide Squad ended up being a disappointment, with negative reviews and ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ never returning.
I can’t see Smith returning as ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ. DC has gone through major changes, with many characters’ futures up in the air, including even that of Robbie’s Harley Quinn. With Gunn not moving forward with a sequel to his The Suicide Squad, which made significantly less than 2016’s Suicide Squad at the box office but was met with more positive reviews, I have a hard time believing that any actor from the original movie could return in any way, save for Robbie as Harley. As such, the original plans for the Suicide Squad sequel are unlikely to ever be used.
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