According to James Gunn, The Suicide Squad will be mostly comprised of practical sets and effects. Created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, an early incarnation of the titular team debuted in 1959's The Brave and the Bold #25. The original team was comprised of physicist Jess Bright, astronomer Dr. Hugh Evans, a flight medic named Karin Grace, and Rick Flag Jr. A second and more modernized version, also known as Task Force X and comprised mostly of lesser-known villains, was created by John Ostrander in 1987. The latter has served as the basis for many on-screen adaptations - including various Arrow episodes and 2016's Suicide Squad - for which director David Ayer is sick of taking the blame for Warner Bros.' changes.
Starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie as Deadshot and Harley Quinn, respectively, Suicide Squad saw the ragtag group recruited by Amanda Waller to halt the world-ending threat of Enchantress. Despite a healthy box office run and even earning an Academy Award, the film was widely panned by critics and moviegoers alike. In the wake of that and Justice League's even more underwhelming performance, Warner Bros. opted to shift direction with its DCEU. Soon after, it was announced that Gunn would write and direct the follow-up. Filming has since gotten underway on the highly anticipated follow-up/soft-reboot - with a newly expanded cast including Nathan Fillion and The Suicide Squad reported to have a more comedic tone.
Delving into the past and waxing nostalgic, however, Gunn took to his personal Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes look at the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.1 production. The popular director shared a video from a "Loop Group" session, wherein he had various actors move from mic to mic and vocally record a range of angry torments aimed at Gamora. A fan was quick to commend Gunn's use of practical effects. It was at this point that Gunn responded, revealing that work on that front will go to a whole new level with The Suicide Squad: "There are more practical sets and effects in #TheSuicideSquad than all my other films combined!!!!"
Gunn's appointment with DC and Warner Bros came as a result of his being fired by Marvel and Disney over some controversial tweets. After waves of support from fans and Guardians of the Galaxy cast members, Gunn was later rehired. As such, he will be able to round out with the trilogy with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. With reports indicating that the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 script is a real tear-jerker, fans are understandably excited to see what comes next. Especially following the cliffhangers of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Avengers: Endgame. Gunn reiterated, however, that The Suicide Squad is very much his focus. As a result, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 remains without an official release date - though Marvel unveiled five mysterious new release dates through 2023.
It will still be sometime before fans get to see how the more practical approach will translate on screen. It will, however, come as something of a surprise given how the Marvel Cinematic Universe and various DCEU outings have been produced. Even Suicide Squad, which could have adopted a more street-level, gritty approach, opted to go large with the special effects. That goes double for fans of James Gunn's work - with even low-budget films like Slither having a level of special effects added to the finished product. Based on Gunn's comments, though, The Suicide Squad is very much going to stand apart from not only his body of work but most superhero adaptations.
Source: James Gunn/Instagram
