James Gunn shares creator of the modern Suicide Squad comics John Ostrander’s reaction to The Suicide Squad. Like the comics it’s based on The Suicide Squad follows Task Force X—an overt team of supervillains who are recruited by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to perform extremely dangerous missions in exchange for reduced prison sentences. Following the lackluster response to David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016), Gunn’s follow-up serves as a spiritual reboot.
The Suicide Squad sees Task Force X’s 2016 members like Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) returning alongside newcomers including Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Blackguard (Pete Davidson), Thinker (Peter Capaldi), T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion), and Polka Dot Man (David Dastmalchian). Gunn dove deep in DC rogues’ galley to assemble his team of oddballs and, this time around, they’re sent to an island to take out Starro the Conqueror. Similar to what he did with Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn hopes to honor the source material through his unique brand of irreverence.
During a recent flight, Gunn once again took the opportunity to answer fan questions on Instagram. On his story, Gunn was asked how John Ostrander, who created the modern version of the Suicide Squad in 1987, liked The Suicide Squad. Check out a screenshot of the answer below:
While answering questions, Gunn also revealed how he spoke at length with Ayer before making The Suicide Squad. It’s clear that Gunn clearly values the opinion of both his contemporaries and predecessors. His latest film includes a well-deserved cameo from Ostrander (who’s also a former actor), who plays the mechanic/doctor putting the bombs in the heads of Task Force X. That said, Ostrander has repeatedly expressed excitement to see Gunn’s final product.
The Suicide Squad is already certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with early reviews praising Gunn’s R-rated vision, humor, and heart. In line with the comics, Gunn’s film won’t see every member of Task Force X make it out alive. The director has teased a high body count. Ostrander’s stamp of approval is perhaps the biggest win for the film in the eyes of Gunn, who genuinely seemed to make movies for the sake of a story. Exhibiting extraordinary confidence in Gunn, a Peacemaker spinoff has already been produced for HBO Max—which will premiere early next year. The Suicide Squad will release in theaters and on HBO Max this Friday.
Source: James Gunn/Instagram
