Suicide Squad: 10 Interesting Things We Know So Far

After taking Comic-Con by storm, DC’s ‘Suicide Squad’ is one of the biggest, most exciting projects currently in production.

But to many, not all of the names associated with the comic book world are as familiar as, say, the heroes in ‘Avengers Assemble’.

Here’s a closer look at some of the more interesting things we know about David Ayer’s big budget DC adventure.

1. Bad To The Bone

The core Suicide Squad don’t comprise of a gang of super heroes like regular comic book stories do. Marvel’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ did this to a slighter degree with the inclusion of Gamora and Drax the Destroyer as their protagonists, but they had a lot of good qualities that shone through.

The Suicide Squad is largely made up of extremely dangerous, volatile villainy, bar Katana and El Diablo who were originally heroes.

These guys and gals, in the majority, are really sick puppies.

2. The First Comic-based Film To Feature A Team Of Super-villains

In fact, it’s the first comic book movie that assembles a collective of ‘bad eggs’ as their principle cast. The tone of the trailer reflects the foreboding, volatile nature of a team that has a few known names - notably Harley Quinn and Deadshot - but is made up of several lesser known, fringe players.

As per the comics, this means that anyone can die at any time; something that Marvel hasn’t (yet) attempted with the likes of Thor or Captain America…

3. Who Is Enchantress?

One of these lesser known characters is Enchantress, aka June Moore (played by Cara Delevingne). She was nothing more than a normal teenage girl who, whilst attending a party at Terror Castle, discovers a secret passage to a demon that promises her super powers whenever she utters the word ‘enchantress’.

Eventually, and under immense strain, her mind breaks and she turns to crime. Her inclusion in the Suicide Squad is her attempt to keep her evil side in check by surrounding herself with like-minded criminals who can handle her.

4. Who’s In, Who’s Out?

The core squad are made up of nine members;

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn

Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang

Cara Delevingne as Enchantress

Will Smith as Deadshot

Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc

Adam Beach as Slipknot

Jay Hernandez as El Diablo

Karen Fukuhara as Katana

Viola Davis plays Amanda Waller aka The Wall (pictured below) - the bad ass government official in charge of the misfit collective. While possessing no special powers per se, she’s utterly ruthless and a tactical expert.

Before castings were confirmed, Ryan Gosling was in line to take on the iconic role of The Joker before declining due to the number of movies he’d be signing up for.

Likewise, Tom Hardy was originally cast as Rick Flag, but later dropped out.

Perhaps the most mind-numbing of tasks was chosing who’d play Harley Quinn. Early runners for the role included Felicity Jones, Imogen Poots, Alison Brie, Mila Kunis, Emma Watson, Kat Dennings, Jennifer Lawrence, and Lindsay Lohan.

5. Practical Magic

Director-writer David Ayer has reiterated his desire to use practical effects, real stunts and locations rather than opt for the all-out CGI and green screen route.

It’s refreshing that, in an era where it’s easy to take for granted the use of computers (see: all three ‘Star Wars’ prequels), he’s consciously making effort to remain hands-on and grounded, giving the film a rawer and ultimately more believable world for the characters to inhabit.

6. The Dark Knight Rises (Again.)

Not only will we see the new version of Batman in this - a second appearance in a year after ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ - it’ll still be played by Ben Affleck. But just how much of Bruce Wayne we’ll see is unclear.

So far we’ve only had a snippet of the Dark Knight in the new trailer as he clings onto a speeding sports car, but should feature enough to whet the appetites of Batman fans.

7. It’ll Take Place After Dawn Of Justice

The third DC movie in the expanded universe (after ‘Man of Steel’ and ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’), this will take place after the explosive events of 2016′s ‘Dawn of Justice’. So whatever happens, there will hopefully be a direct knock-on effect in ‘Suicide Squad, just as ‘Man of Steel’ has, according to the trailer, significantly impacted the story in ‘Dawn of Justice’.

8. Joking Around

While The Joker features heavily in ‘Suicde Squad’, it’s worth reminding ourselves that he’s not actually part of the team itself. Leto’s character will appear in the film, as per his eerie intro in the trailer, but in what capacity?

Even by the unhinged standards of the squad, DC’s most iconic baddie is all about hurt, suffering and anarchy, which isn’t what Amanda Waller assembles the team for.

The likelihood is that Joker will feature in Harley’s back story, but don’t rule him out of the running as the film’s main or even sub-plotted antagonist.

9. What’s Love Got To Do With It?

One of the main reasons for The Joker’s inclusion in ‘Suicide Squad’ is due to his connection to Harley Quinn. Anyone who knows anything about the DC universe will be aware that the pair have a strong bond, with Quinn as his loyal, yet totally crazed sidekick.

But don’t be fooled into thinking this is anything romantic - well, not in the way that we’re accustomed to - because it’s not. They form a bizarre relationship whereby, as evident in the comics and history, there’s an obvious loving affection displayed by Harley, but is only ever repaid in an often cruel, abusive and torturous way from The Joker.

10. Insane Method Acting

We’re expecting this to be the darkest comic book film to ever hit the big-screen. DC have promised a very adult-themed take on the material (which is often grim and extreme anyway).

But the cast are also getting very into character - some a little too much. Leto’s method acting (if we can totally brand it that) consisted of giving his co-star Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) a rat as a present. “Rat Rat now dines on organic berries from Whole Foods,“ Robbie said.

Yet perhaps more sinister was his gift of bullets to Deadshot, played by Will Smith. We’re sure it was all taken in good spirit, though.

‘Suicide Squad’ is in UK cinemas 5 August, 2016.

Picture credits: Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Comics, Twitter