Suicide Squad was released to mostly negative reviews in 2016, but it drew big numbers at the box office and created a lot of new Task Force X fans (many of whom are now campaigning for Warner Bros. to #ReleaseTheAyerCut).
This August, The Suicide Squad will be released in theaters and on HBO Max, but is it a reboot or sequel? That's a question we've been asking for some time and it appears the answer lies somewhere in between. According to Peacemaker actor John Cena, the movie is neither a follow-up to David Ayer's version nor a completely new approach to the villainous team.
"Perception is everything, and I won’t change your perception. But I’ll offer my own," the pro wrestler turned actor told The Observer in a recent interview. "The Suicide Squad is neither a sequel nor reboot. The Suicide Squad is the Suicide Squad from the brain of one of the most amazingly twisted creative minds in James Gunn that I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting."
"James is so gifted in so many ways," Cena continued, heaping praise on the Guardians of the Galaxy director. "The good thing about what’s going on with The Suicide Squad is exactly what you’re saying. People are kind of expecting to be something. But nobody’s ready to see this movie. Everyone needs it in their life, trust me. But nobody’s ready to see what it is. Nobody."
It sounds like Gunn has come up with something entirely his own with The Suicide Squad, and that's no bad thing. The director is already hard at work on spinoff series Peacemaker, a project that reunites him with Cena (it's expected to arrive on HBO Max early next year and possibly as soon as January).
The Suicide Squad will be released in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6th, 2021.