Suicide Squad was released in 2016 to largely negative reviews. However, director David Ayer has maintained that the movie we saw in theaters was not the version he wanted or planned to bring to the big screen.
It's no secret that Warner Bros. interfered, adding colourful graphics and catchy pop tunes to lighten the blockbuster's tone. That, and a new ending, came after people largely rejected Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's dark approach to its characters.
Before James Gunn helmed 2021's The Suicide Squad, Gavin O'Connor (Warrior, The Accountant) was writing a version of the movie we've heard was set to pit Task Force X against Black Adam.
Talking to Collider, the filmmaker revealed that Will Smith's Deadshot was going to be put front and centre in his Suicide Squad 2 and blamed Warner Bros. and "the new DC President" (Walter Hamada, we're assuming) for wanting to "make it a comedy."
"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 Deadshot and his daughter."
Despite issues behind the scenes and negative reviews, Suicide Squad still grossed $749.2 million at the worldwide box office. Warner Bros. never gave up on the idea of a sequel, and Gunn's take was critically acclaimed.
However, it was also released at the height of the pandemic, grossing only $169 million worldwide. Gunn has since revisited the concept with Creature Commandos and Task Force M, though we don't anticipate seeing this team get another movie for the time being.
Are you disappointed that O'Connor's Suicide Squad 2 didn't happen?