Suicide Squad 2 will be a "more grounded" movie than the original says returning star Joel Kinnaman. The second Suicide Squad has reportedly set a fall 2018 production start date with 2019 targeted as the release year. Gavin O'Conner will take over writing and directing duties from David Ayer. A recent social media posting showed Joel Kinnaman working out with co-stars Jai Courtney and Jay Hernandez, possibly in preparation for the Suicide Squad sequel. Hernandez's appearance in the photo sparked speculation that his deceased El Diablo character will experience a resurrection.
Suicide Squad flopped with critics but satisfied many DCEU fans with its story of bad guys teaming up to become heroes. Debate rages to this day over whether Suicide Squad was actually a good movie, but there's no questioning its box office. Overall, Suicide Squad tallied $746 million worldwide. With those numbers, it was a no-brainer for Warner Bros. to re-assemble the team for a sequel. But perhaps with a few tweaks to the formula.
Related: Margot Robbie May Reprise Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey Movie
While speaking to Yahoo! about his upcoming Netflix series Altered Carbon, Joel Kinnaman briefly discussed Suicide Squad 2 and the tweaks that could make the film a better overall experience. Asked about what went wrong with the critically panned original film, Kinnaman bluntly replied "the third act." The actor then went into some depth about why Suicide Squad 2 will be different. See the video above.
It was a great set-up. Great characters. I think that when we do a second one I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see more of a grounded version of the film. I think the characters are so extreme, so I think it could be more effective if we're seeing them with maybe less sorcery. Because the characters become more extreme if you see them in conjunction with more real people.
Interestingly, Kinnaman zeroes in on the third act as a problem with the original film. Viewers will recall that the third act involved the Suicide Squad coming together to battle Enchantress, a sorceress attempting to take over Earth while possessing the body of June Moore, an archaeologist and the love interest of Kinnaman's character Rick Flag. Enchantress uses her powers to entice the squad members over to her side by promising to fulfill their greatest fantasies. However, they manage to resist the sorcery and ultimately band together as a team to defeat her. In the process, El Diablo sacrifices himself.
Even many people who liked Suicide Squad overall found the over-the-top finale a bit hard to swallow. Director David Ayer himself admitted the film would have been better served using Jared Leto's Joker as the main villain instead of Enchantress. Though, at the same time, the Joker character one must admit was not without his problems. Kinnaman in his own comments takes a seeming shot at the silliness of Enchantress with his reference to Suicide Squad 2 having "maybe less sorcery." As Kinnaman alludes to, it arguably was a mistake giving the crazy Suicide Squad such a completely ridiculous nemesis. A more grounded approach might indeed serve a sequel better.
More: It’s Not Too Late For The DCEU To Win Back Casual Audiences
Those who disliked Suicide Squad did point to a few positive elements about the film. One of these positives was a simple scene of the group interacting in a tavern before their final mission. Perhaps Suicide Squad 2 will feature more chances for the characters to legitimately play off each other. And many will echo Kinnaman's apparent belief that the movie would be better with less sorcery.
Source: Yahoo!
