Next 'Suicide Squad' film will be "total reboot"—not a sequel

It looks like director James Gunn is about to throw fans for a loop with the upcoming Suicide Squad film. Many believed the movie would act as a sequel to David Ayer’s film, but it turns out that is certainly NOT the case. Instead, it looks like Gunn’s version will serve as a “total reboot”.

Read more: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ editor addressed scene causing Oscar win backlash

Producer Peter Safran, who is currently on a press tour for Shazam!, spoke with JoBlo to confirm the news.

“First of all, we don’t call it Suicide Squad 2 ‘cause it’s a total reboot, so it’s The Suicide Squad and I think people should be extremely excited about it. It’s everything you would hope from a James Gunn script and I think that says a lot and that promises a lot and I know that we will deliver a lot.”

The news of a total reboot makes sense considering the film may have officially recast Deadshot. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film has replaced Will Smith with Coachella-performer and acclaimed actor Idris Elba.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Smith had dropped out of his Suicide Squad role. According to Variety, sources say that a scheduling conflict may have been the driving force behind Smith’s decision.

It has been hinted that Elba is “in talks” with the production following an alleged meeting he had with the Suicide Squad director James Gunn. Sources told the Hollywood Reporter that Elba is Gunn’s first choice for the forthcoming film.

Recently, Gunn was reinstated by Disney to direct Guardians of the Galaxy 3 following a resurfaced offensive tweet scandal.

But would director double-duty put too much pressure on Gunn?

“No,” assures Safran. “It was all handled incredibly elegantly and everybody knows on both sides that Suicide Squad is the priority today and he’ll finish that movie and then everybody knows that his next film will be Guardians. It’s the best of all possible both worlds, I think, for fans and for James Gunn himself.”

Currently, the next Suicide Squad film is expected to start production this fall, with an estimated release date in the summer of 2021.

Are you excited for a reboot of Suicide Squad or would you rather have a sequel? Sound off in the comments below!

See more: 20 totally goth lipsticks that aren’t black

[envira-gallery id=”194688″]