James Gunn Won’t Reveal if 'The Suicide Squad' is a Sequel or Reboot

It’s been an eventful few weeks for the DC Extended Universe, between the release of Shazam! and reports that Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult are frontrunners to play Batman in Matt Reeves’ 2021 The Batman. But despite this deluge of news, one DCEU filmmaker has remained tight-lipped: James Gunn, the director of The Suicide Squad, who has been coy about whether the film is a sequel or a reboot.

The Suicide Squad is expected to hit theaters in 2021, five years after the release of the similarly named Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer. According to ComicBook.com, Gunn has dodged the question of how the two films connect together.

When asked by Entertainment Weekly whether the film was a sequel or a reboot, Gunn answered: “You know, these terms are all so narrow. There are so many terms.” He also added that, “It is what it is. You’ll see in two years when it comes out.”

Despite Gunn’s terseness on the nature of the film, several actors, including Jai Courtney and Margot Robbie, are expected to return to the project. Will Smith, who played Deadshot, exited The Suicide Squad due to scheduling conflicts, and actor Idris Elba is in talks to take on a new role, according to Variety. Additionally, Gunn has shared snapshots of his research process for the film, mentioning the iteration of Suicide Squad by writer John Ostrander, which features, in Gunn's words, "Black ops military tales with disposable, often forgotten super villains."

Gunn was hired to direct the film following his sudden firing from Guardians in the Galaxy Vol. 3 after a number of controversial tweets surfaced from his account. However, Gunn was later rehired for the project, meaning that he is working for both DC and Marvel Studios.

We’re not sure exactly what’s in store for The Suicide Squad, but we’re certainly happy that Gunn is helming it. We’ll be excited to see how he applies his trademark vivacious creativity when the film premieres on Aug. 6, 2021.