Suicide Squadcould have had a sequel that felt more in line with the original movie than what James Gunn ended up creating. At the moment, there are no plans for the team to come back in the newDC Universe. That is not surprising, as2021’sThe Suicide Squadbecame a major box office bomb, grossing a measly $168.7 million (viaBox Office Mojo). I was disappointed by the movie’s performance, as I quite enjoyed the direction the sequel went in, as well as The Suicide Squad’s cast of characters.
There was a clear tonal change within the franchise,going from the bleaker tone of the 2016 David Ayer film to Gunn’s sequel, which leaned more towards gore and comedic elements. While I enjoyed the second Suicide Squad movie more than the first in every possible way, I also think the change was so big in scale that, instead of course-correcting the franchise, it may have turned many of those who liked the original film away. While I’m excited aboutDC’s upcoming moviesunder Gunn, I can’t help but wonder how the originalSuicide Squadsequelwould have shaped up.
After spending years thinking about how the originalSuicide Squadsequel could have played out, I was surprised to finally learn some concrete story details recently. During an interview withCollider, Gavin O’Connor, who was set to take the reins from Ayer, writing and directing theSuicide Squadsequel, opened up about the project. As imagined, the planned tone of the movie was completely different from Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad. In fact,O’Connor was asked to turn his script into a comedy, which he refused to do, so he walked away from the film.
Besides commenting on the tone of theSuicide Squadsequel he wanted to make, the director went on to reveal what it would have been about. According to O’Connor,Suicide Squad 2would have focused on Will Smith’s Deadshot and his relationship with his daughter. I was surprised to find out what was originally planned for the franchise, as Gunn’sThe Suicide Squadcould not have been farther from it. The movie DC released in theaters had that comedic tone the DC executive asked O’Connor for, and he refused, with Smith’s Deadshot replaced by Idris Elba’s Bloodsport.
Check out Gavin O’Connor’s full quote about hisSuicide Squadmovie below:
“It’s another example of the dysfunction of our industry. I had a very specific take. They wanted to do it. I think I was probably three-quarters of the way into the script when they brought in a new regime and all the DC people I was working with were gone. I was writing on the lot, I got a little bungalow there; my writing partner and I would just meet there and write every day. There was a knock on the door, and it was the new DC president. He said, ‘So where are you with the script?’ I said ‘It’s almost done,’ and he said ‘Can I read it?’ And I said, ‘Well, you may read it when it’s finished.’ A couple of weeks later, I gave it to him, and he said ‘Can you make it a comedy?’ And I said, ‘That’s not what I wrote, and that’s not the agreement I have with the studio.’ He wanted me to make it into a comedy, and I was like, all right, I guess I won’t be working here.
It was really a father-daughter story with Deadshot and his daughter.”
Following Up On Deadshot’s Life Sounds Like An Interesting Premise For A DC Movie
I think the original concept for theSuicide Squadsequel is interesting, though it might also have had a difficult run at the box office. From a story perspective, I would have loved to see how O’Connor’s plan for the movie would have unfolded. I think Smith’s Deadshot was the clear standout from 2016’sSuicide Squad— not counting Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, obviously. So, it was weird not to see him come back forThe Suicide Squad. I believeit would have been fitting to make Deadshot’s role grow in aSuicide Squadsequel.
While most of the characters on the expendable team are villains, the best parts about bothSuicide Squadmovies were the moments where we could see the actors peel back their characters' layers, revealing a softer side. The use of Deadshot’s daughter during the scene whereBatman arrests him in 2016’sSuicide Squadis one of the best examples of that. I would have loved to have seen that relationship given more focus in the sequel, with Deadshot perhaps becoming a full-on hero so that his daughter can see him as someone to look up to.
The First Movie In The Franchise Became Controversial
While the movie might not have had a great box office run, I loved Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad. I felt it was more entertaining than the first film and made us care for the characters more. That said, I am still fascinated by the idea of how Smith’s Deadshot could have returned and had a major role to play. To this day, I still want to see more of that iteration of the character. Sadly,the originalSuicide Squadended up being a disappointment, with negative reviews and Deadshot never returning.
I can’t see Smith returning as Deadshot. DC has gone through major changes, with many characters' futures up in the air, including even that of Robbie’s Harley Quinn. With Gunn not moving forward with a sequel to hisThe Suicide Squad, which made significantly less than 2016’sSuicide Squadat the box office but was met with more positive reviews, I have a hard time believing that any actor from the original movie could return in any way, save for Robbie as Harley. As such, the original plans for theSuicide Squadsequel are unlikely to ever be used.
