the suicide squad

FANTASIA XXV: James Gunn’s THE SUICIDE SQUAD Tops Off A Throat-Punching, Ass-Kicking Spectacular Second Wave!

The first wave has been making the rounds for Fantasia Festival 2021 for some time now. Alas, where there is a first, there was always going to be a second, and with none other than James freaking Gunn’s The Suicide Squad dropping the holyshitness for the Fantasia crowd as we gear up for the August festivities. Wave two, which you can dive into below, is loaded with some great fun to be had with Japanese CG animated Junk-Head, the gangbuster action comedy Office Royale, revenge thriller Yakuza Princess which was most recently picked up by Magnet for the U.S., as well as Prisoners Of The Ghostland which debuted for Sundance this year to some pretty ample reviews for director Sion Sono. Wave three comes in July and I’ll have my own curtain raiser up in due time. In the meantime, if you’ve been waiting for more on this year’s twenty-fifth […]

News Briefs: ‘FISTFUL’ Wraps; Wonder Street Signs New Rising Star; DAY SHIFT Adds Five; SIX STRING SAMURAI Revamps At Vingear; 2nd THE SUICIDE SQUAD Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

● The cast and crew of Fistful Of Vengeance complete principal photography in Thailand this week. An offshoot of Netflix action series Wu Assassins, Roel Reine directs a cast that includes Iko Uwais, Lewis Tan, Lawrence Kao and Juju Chan, along with Ratha Phongam, Jason Tobin, Pearl Thusi and Francesca Corney. INSTAGRAM ● Actor, dancer and martial artist Jordan Cann signed a management deal with Wonder Street Entertainment, the same firm that reps stars like Tony Jaa (Paradox) and Michael Jai White (Blood And Bone). Cann’s been on our own radar dating back to 2014, several years after he relocated from New York City to Los Angeles as a burgeoning dance and acting talent with the itch to break into action films, and he’s proved himself amply ever since. He’s developed shortfilm favorites like My Brother’s Keeper, Reclamation and action comedy, Pizza Fight. His feature film credits include F. Gary […]

THE SUICIDE SQUAD Gets A Killer Red-Band Trailer Rife With Violence & Gore, Dick Jokes, Harley Quinn-isms And More!

Lee B. Golden III

With Zack Snyder’s Justice League soon to be months behind us as Warner Bros. Pictures outwardly shuns its director’s highly superior four-hour epic from the studio’s more ideal canon, time will tell how the forthcoming slate of live-action DC movies will manage to validate its DCEU on the big screen for fans going forward. We’ll soon see how that bodes for filmmaker James Gunn in lieu of the August 6 release date for The Suicide Squad, hereby succeeding David Ayer’s own incarnation with a newly polished approach to the property that launched in 1959 and revised plentily over the years, and now carrying the torch for a studio now patently lagging in its heretofore attempt at rivaling Marvel. Folks will get to check out the film in theaters, as well as HBO Max for subscribers for up to 31 days at no extra charge. Alas, the official red-band trailer, as […]

THE SUICIDE SQUAD: DC FanDome Signals The Squad’s Return In A New ‘Roll Call’ And Sneak Peek!

Lee B. Golden III

Among all the things comic book film fans can be proud of, it’s being in director James Gunn’s corner. Having pulled himself from the throes of a career-ending smear campaign and back into moviemaking relevancy, what better way to mark the occasion than with a fresh look at the new and returning characters in The Suicide Squad? And you can guess as much that Gunn’s own vision is going for something much more different than Ayer’s 2016 installment. Alas, no plot or synopsis, and not really that much teaser footage. Nope, today is all about the hype, and that comes by way of a new roll-call teaser giving viewers of Saturday’s DC FanDome a first look above at the cast of characters, as well as a behind-the-scenes sneak peek below. A 2021 theatrical release is also in tow and with that, official promo assets to help carry the hype until […]

Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang Regroups With THE SUICIDE SQUAD; John Cena In Talks

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Jai Courtney is rejoining The Suicide Squad once more for the role of Captain Boomerang as confirmed by THR in an interview with the actor. The news came on Wednesday just after word of talks of adding actor John Cena joining the cast began circulating from Justin Kroll over at Variety (update: Kroll added via Twitter that the role Cena may play, originally offered to actor Dave Bautista, would be that of Peacemaker). Courtney played Captain Boomerang in the David Ayer-directed 2016 inaugural Suicide Squad adaptation from Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment about a select band of criminals hired in secret by the government in lieu of an incoming threat. Cena’s recent credits include Universal Pictures parental comedy, Blockers, and Travis Knight’s Paramount release, Bumblebee, while the actor also prepares to tackle The Janson Directive. He and Courtney will be joined by returning cast members Viola Davis as Amanda […]

James Gunn’s THE SUICIDE SQUAD Takes Aim At Idris Elba For The Role Of Deadshot

Lee B. Golden III

Borys Kit over at The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision column is bringing the gospel with actor Idris Elba circling the role of Deadshot for James Gunn’s sequel follow-up, The Suicide Squad. The report stipulates that as Elba and Gunn hit it off last week on Friday, the actor was the first choice following the departure of Will Smith who portrayed the role for David Ayer’s first installment in 2016. Also elucidated in the report is that Gunn, who now segues from his position at Disney’s Marvel feature film roster – leaving behind his script for a third Guardians Of The Galaxy which still needs a director – will use mostly new characters apart from Deadshot, including a possible return of actress Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. Robbie is set to reprise the role in Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) for which cameras […]

THE SUICIDE SQUAD: James Gunn Officially In Talks To Reboot DC Adaptation For WB

Lee B. Golden III

It’s a damn good time to be a James Gunn fan, especially if you’ve enjoyed the Guardians Of The Galaxy movies he’s directed up until this point. Following up on a report from The Wrap last October, The Hollywood Reporter has it on good terms that Gunn will direct the film now titled The Suicide Squad after penning a script from a previous draft by Gavin O’Connor. Warner Bros. is currently in the midst of a revamp of its properties since taking off with Man Of Steel and leaving off at Justice League – Birds Of Prey and Joker being just a few of the latest examples. Thus, it’s expected Gunn’s treatment will be envisioned as a reboot with new characters. The news is a plus for fans who’ve cheered Gunn since a right-wing provocateur unearthed old, offensive Tweets last summer that were posted by Gunn – Tweets that Gunn […]