James Gunn's The Suicide Squad has no "2" attached to the end of it, because it isn't technically a sequel, nor is it fully a reboot either.
The Suicide Squad will still feature Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), and Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) from the first film. Will Smith's Deadshot might've appeared, too, if it weren't for scheduling conflicts. Otherwise, The Suicide Squad's Task Force X is populated with a majority of new characters, some that will be unceremoniously killed off. The film will also be heavily rated-R, allowing Gunn and co. to really go there when it comes to gore and language that is fitting for a team of psychotic super villains.
Despite the fact that The Suicide Squad will be bringing elements and characters from the first film into the new one, producer Peter Safran revealed during a set visit that the film will not address Ayer's 2016 Suicide Squad "in any tangible form." Safran says that this ensures that The Suicide Squad stands on its own as a separate entity. The producer also revealed that the film will not address the Harley Quinn solo entry Birds of Prey, nor will it address the character's infamous relationship with the Joker. Still, the characters will each other, as evidenced by the trailers when Rick Flag clearly has a weird affinity for Harley. Check out Safran's full thoughts below:
We just don't address it in any tangible form. Yes, they're the characters [and] the actors that played them in the first movie. But we really wanted to make sure that this stands on its own two feet. So, again, it's why... it's not a sequel, but there are some characters that were in the first movie, right? So it's not really a full reboot either. So we just call it James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
[The studio's decision to return to the property] was driven in large part by James Gunn's sudden availability that started July of last year. I always felt like it's an incredible property and when I talked to James about it, his initial reaction was, 'I'm not sure. Let me think about it.' He thought about it a little bit and, mind you, it was just like, 'Listen, who's better to bring together a disparate group of outsiders on a mission? James Gunn.' That was my pitch to him and his ultimate reaction was, 'Ask Warner Bros. if I have to be bound by anything that has occurred before, any characters, or anything off-base, or can I just start from scratch?' And the reaction was, 'We want Suicide Squad from the mind of James Gunn.' That's what it is. So not a sequel. It's not a reboot. It's just James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
It's no surprise that The Suicide Squad won't address the past films. It's safe to say that the entirety of the DCEU is somewhat in the midst of a soft-reboot after the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League. As the franchise looks to the future, it's clear that DC is retaining some key characters from the past, including Harley Quinn, Ezra Miller's The Flash, Jason Momoa's Aquaman, and Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, while slyly introducing a new slate of heroes that will serve as the foundation for the next stage of the franchise.
How much Gunn's The Suicide Squad will factor into that next stage remains a mystery, but it's clear that the film will lay the foundation for the future in some ways. John Cena is already slated to reprise his role as Peacemaker in an HBO Max spinoff series. As for The Suicide Squad's other characters, time will tell if they will be seen again - Gunn has promised plenty of deaths, so Warner Bros. may be waiting to announce any future projects until after the film reveals who does and doesn't make it out alive.
