James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ Adds Storm Reid to the Star-Studded Ensemble

Jul 10, 2019

Warner Bros. sort-of sequel to ‘Suicide Squad’ adds Storm Reid to the star-studded ensemble. She will play the daughter of Idris Elba’s character.

Reid made her feature film debut in Steve McQueen’s ’12 Years a Slave.’ She is a regular collaborator with director Ava DuVernay, with ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ and the Netflix miniseries ‘When They See Us.’ Next, she will appear in Leigh Whannell’s reboot of ‘The Invisible Man,’ releasing March 13, 2020.

Meanwhile, Gunn serves as writer and director for ‘The Suicide Squad’ (the current title anyway). The film follows David Ayer’s 2016 film ‘Suicide Squad,’ but rather than a straight sequel, this is described as a new take on the property from the mind of Gunn that will feature a mix of new and old characters. Further, the project is very much rooted in Gunn’s vibe, as seen in his ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movies.

Moreover, Viola Davis is coming back to play Amanda Waller, while Margot Robbie will reprise the role of Harley Quinn. According to the actors themselves, Jai Courtney and Joel Kinnaman will be returning to play Captain Boomerang and Rick Flagg, respectively.

Idris Elba will now be playing a new character, instead of Deadshot (replacing Will Smith). However, the character is unknown, but it could be Bronze Tiger. Deadshot has been written out of the movie, but may return in the future, with Smith returning.

Also, several new characters will be introduced:

  • Nanaue, aka King Shark
  • Ratcatcher, aka Maria the Millennial
    • Newcomer Daniela Melchior is in talks for the role.
  • Polka-Dot Man, aka Mister Polka Dot
    • David Dastmalchian (‘Blade Runner 2049,’ ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’) is set for the role.
  • Peacemaker, aka Christopher Smith
    • John Cena (‘Blockers,’ ‘Bumblebee’) is in talks for the role, due to scheduling conflicts from Dave Bautista (‘Guardians of the Galaxy’).

There will also be a monstrous femme fatale character. The description states she is a surly, creature-like, muscular alien woman. The role will require a heavy use of prosthetics, akin to Killer Croc. Our own KC Walsh speculates the character could be either Rampage, Voodoo, a genderbent Despero, or (my pick) Duchess.

Additionally, second unit director and supervising stunt coordinator Guy Norris (‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’) will return as well, as he was part of the first film. Costume designer Judianna Makovsky (‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’), production designer Beth Mickle (‘Drive,’ ‘Only God Forgives’) and cinematographer Henry Braham (‘The Golden Compass,’ ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2′) are also onboard.

Filming will begin September 23rd and wrap January 31st in Atlanta, Georgia.

Warner Bros. will release the film on August 6, 2021.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter