Suicide Squad 2: 3 early expectations for the sequel

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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 03: A general view ahead of the European Premiere of ‘Suicide Squad 2’ at the Odeon Leicester Square on August 3, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

The new head of the DCEU Walter Hamada has made changes, so what might it mean for the future of this film universe?

The original Suicide Squad movie was a polarizing one, to say the least. While it made big-time box office money, critics and many fans were very critical of the film filled with award-winning talent. Still, that wasn’t about to stop Warner Bros from exploiting a movie that was a commercial success earning more than $750M along with fans wanting to see Margot Robbie suit up as Harley Quinn as soon as possible.

So, quite naturally the DCEU made the sequel a priority and brought The Accountant director Gavin O’Connor aboard to write and direct. Now, according to Variety, Michael De Luca (The Social Network) joins the fray. Variety has also reported that Jared Leto will also return in the sequel. What does it all mean for the upcoming sequel to the 2016 summer blockbuster?

3. The Joker might get more screen time

The announcement that Jared Leto return is pretty surprising considering how openly frustrated he was with the way his character was handled in the original film. Leto’s modern take on the Joker wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms by some fans and critics. To be fair Leto didn’t really get a fair shake. His role in the first film was minimized to nothing more than a supporting character despite the fruitless efforts to make him feel like something more. In fact, Leto’s misuse even led to publications like Rolling Stones and Variety called Let’s appearance as “grafted” and a ” glorified walk-on.” However, with Leto reprising his role there’s likely going to be a big-time boost in screen time as it should be.

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Fans and media outlet weren’t the only people expressing disappointment in the way Joker was used. The mishandling of the Joker was something that director David Ayer regretted. Ayers explained that he probably should have handled the Joker differently by using him as one of the main villains in the film. Although Ayers won’t be returning, incoming writer/director Gavin O’Connor and producer Michael De Luca can right the wrongs of the previous film by using Joker as the big bad in the next film.

Leto is a gifted transformative actor who deserved the opportunity to see his Joker spotlighted and there’s a way to do it. The blueprint lies in DC Comics Animated Universe’s Batman: Assault on Arkham. This DCAU film saw Task Force X assembled to thwart Joker’s plan after he’s planted a bomb in Gotham City. The film also explores the broken relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn which is something that could lead to the Joker and Harley Quinn movie which we hope will be heavily inspired by Batman Adventures: Mad Love.

Still, no matter where O’Connor decides to draw inspiration the film is very likely to give fans a heavy dose of Jared Leto’s Joker, and with De Luca on board, here’s a chance it could be rated R. With producer De Luca and writer/director O’Connor joining forces there are a number of things fans can expect to see from Suicide Squad 2 and an R rated film is one of them. New DCEU boss Walter Hamada is expected to allow the producers and directors the freedom to do their own movie. And with the track record surrounding these new DCU faces, plus the content Suicide Squad provides there’s a chance we can get an R Rated DCEU film.

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