As Marvel readies the launch of their Phase 3 films next year, starting with Captain America: Civil War, DC’s Extended Universe is playing a slow, but smart game of catch up. DC Comics/Warner Bros’ shared universe established itself in 2013 with their Superman reboot, Man of Steel. Zac Snyder’s film ultimately received mixed reviews, especially on Rotten Tomatoes, with hardcore comic book fans mostly complaining about the script straying away from the original source material.
On March 25th, 2016, director Zack Snyder will release his follow up to MoS with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, featuring an original script written by Chris Terrio (Argo) & David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises) which is inspired by Frank Miller’s classic The Dark Knight Returns series from the 80s.
Following on the heels of BvS five months later is David Ayer’s (Training Day, Harsh Times, Fury) very hyped up Suicide Squad; DC’s team of baddies tasked by HBIC Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to carry out a very dangerous & secretive mission. Should they fail, well, the “skwad” has total deniability. Because they’re villains. Or antiheroes. Whatever you’d like to label them as.
Judging by the two film’s muted palettes and moody, dismal tones, it’s quite obvious that DC Comics is more interested in embracing its dark side, rather than keeping things lighthearted. As far as Suicide Squad goes, it seems Ayer and his team went for a more rowdy, punk look, and today, thanks to Empire magazine, we get a close-up look at the Skwad, with four variant covers featuring the film’s leads Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), the Joker (Jared Leto), Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) and Deadshot (Will Smith).
While Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Dr. Harleen Quinzel is quite the departure from her original look, Leto’s Clown Prince of Crime seems to be sticking closely to Batman: The Killing Joke canon. Fans afraid of Quinn’s overhauled appearance need fear not, as Bruce Timm, co-creator of the titular female lead is actually quite fond of his character’s revamped look. Timm reported to Polygon:
It’s weird. Myself — being somebody who’s taken characters that pre-exist and putting my own spin on them in my own little universe — I’m very aware of how when a character that I necessarily created shows up in other media that they have to adapt it and do different things with it than I would do. So I’m very open to it to see what they’re going to do. I’m actually really excited. I just today, just before the show started, saw the first image of Harley Quinn from the Suicide Squad movie, and I thought ‘Woah. She looks actually pretty cute!’ I was actually kind of worried I thought ‘Oh, she’s going to look really, really bizarre and skanky’ but nah, she’s not too bad. So I’m often mistaken.
As we edge closer to the film’s 8/5/2016 release, more info has trickled out, including a rumor that Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) may play a key role in the movie. According to tipster Umberto Gonzalez (who almost always seems to be on point with his rumors), the mystical, mysterious and powerful diviner, also known as June Moone, will be on a mission to search, find and resurrect her brother. Task Force X are charged with stopping her efforts to “destroy the world.”
We do know for sure that enigmatic warrior & superheroine Katana (Karen Fukuhara) will be tasked with protecting the team’s de facto leader Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) while out in the field, wielding the dynamically powerful sword known as the Soultaker – which as its name suggests – traps the souls of any victims claimed by it.
Check out the images below. Suicide Squad, starring Will Smith (Deadshot), Jared Leto (The Joker), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Croc), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), Cara Delevingne (Enchantress), Jay Hernandez (El Diablo), Adam Beach (Slipknot), Karen Fukuhara (Katana), Common (Tattoed Man) and Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) arrives in theaters on Aug. 5th, 2016.
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