All The Suicide Squad 2 Rumors And Spoilers Leaked So Far

If the critics had any say in the matter, the Suicide Squad film franchise would never see a second installment. Adapted from DC Comics' series about supervillains strong-armed into working for the government, 2016's Suicide Squad may have earned a horrible Rotten Tomatoes rating, but with a total gross approaching $750 million, it proved to be one of the DCEU's most successful films. So no matter how few stars critics gave the first one, we know a second one's coming. 

There's a lot we still don't know. We know what actors to expect on the screen, but in a lot of cases we still don't know for certain who's playing what role. Love it or hate it, Suicide Squad is conceptually unique in today's crowd of big-budget superhero flicks. Just about any DC bad guy who ever showed up in the panels is a candidate for Amanda Waller's Task Force X. In the comics there aren't that many villains who haven't taken at least a turn or two in the Squad, and for quite a few their time in Task Force X was their last time anywhere.

If you want to know everything that's surfaced about the second film, here's all the rumors and spoilers leaked so far about the sequel to Suicide Squad. 

When announcing James Gunn was aiming for the director's chair in January 2019, THR reported that Gunn's plans for Task Force X did not include a direct sequel. According to THR, Gunn's film will be titled The Suicide Squad and will "relaunch" the franchise with a "mostly all-new cast of characters and actors." Gunn has a large toybox of characters from which to choose. The Suicide Squad comic has featured dozens of different DC supervillains and there are plenty of Squad regulars — examples include Bronze Tiger, Count Vertigo, King Shark, and Black Spider — who are still waiting to appear on the big screen. THR said The Suicide Squad will be "rooted in Gunn's vibe," which most likely means we can expect the same unique blend of action, humor, and drama the director brought to Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy films. 

Since THR's initial report, we've learned Gunn's The Suicide Squad will be even more of a departure from David Ayers' film than we originally thought. While THR described Gunn's film as a "soft reboot" (whatever that means), apparently it's going to be anything but "soft."

Speaking to JoBlo, Aquaman and Shazam! producer Peter Safran spilled a few details. "First of all, we don't call it Suicide Squad 2 'cause it's a total reboot," Safran said. He went on to say audiences should feel "pretty excited" about the upcoming film and praised Gunn's work, saying, "It's everything you would hope from a James Gunn script."

In January 2019 (the same day they reported on James Gunn writing The Suicide Squad), THR confirmed a scheduled release month for the relaunch: August 2021. At the same time, they reported Warner Bros would be releasing DC Super Pets and The Batman the same year. 

Since Suicide Squad's 2016 release, there have been plenty of questions about whether or not there would even be a sequel. Writing duties have changed hands several times and it was never clear whether David Ayer would be returning to the director's chair. As early as February 2017, rumors were circulating that Mel Gibson was being courted to helm the sequel. 

In April 2020 — amidst word of multiple film and TV production delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic — Gunn calmed fans' fears that The Suicide Squad's release date might become another casualty. Asked by a fan on Twitter about a potential delay, Gunn responded, "We are still on schedule as of now." So, until we hear more, assume Task Force X will be returning to theaters in August 2021.

In late February 2019, Variety reported that Will Smith had opted to not reprise his role as Floyd Lawton, a.k.a. Deadshot — the sharpshooter assassin Smith played in 2016's Suicide Squad. Thankfully for all parties, Variety says there's no bad blood between Smith and Warner Bros.; Instead, it looks like scheduling is to blame for Smith backing away from the sequel. 

While James Gunn had already been planning for a supposed "soft reboot," Variety reports that Warner Bros. was hoping Smith would be one of the actors to return. If Deadshot is M.I.A., that's somewhat fitting. In the comics he's proven to be one of the most consistent presences in the various Task Force X rosters, but they're much more fluid than other funnybook super-teams. A Suicide Squad movie with no Deadshot might be regrettable, but the character isn't as integral as Chris Evans' Captain America would be to an Avengers movie. 

ScreenRant's Cooper Hood proposed a promising fix — plucking Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke out of DCEU limbo and using him to replace Smith. 

In May 2019, rumors spread about the character Idris Elba would be playing in The Suicide Squad. Geeks WorldWide reported they'd learned James Gunn was looking to cast a woman in the role of Elba's character's daughter. Based on that, the site came up with two guesses as to the character he'd be playing, starting with the strangely named DC villain Sportsmaster, who has a daughter named Artemis in the comics. GWW theorized that given Gunn's "affinity for more obscure and wacky characters," Sportsmaster would be the more likely choice.

But the guess most fans seem to be pegging their hopes on is mercenary Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke, who enjoys something of a love/hate relationship with his deadly daughter Rose, a.k.a. Ravager. In the comics, Deathstroke's had dealings with the Squad, including joining the team only to ultimately turn on them in their 2014 New Suicide Squad relaunch. 

If Elba is playing Deathstroke, then it raises the question of whether this casting is the final nail in the coffin of Joe Manganiello's hopes to play Slade Wilson. He portrayed Deathstroke in a post-credits scene for 2017's Justice League, and rumors circulated of Manganiello as Slade Wilson in The Batman when Ben Affleck was still attached to direct and possibly a solo Deathstroke film.

Along with King Shark, Ratcatcher, and Polka-Dot Man, Collider reported that James Gunn's version of the Suicide Squad will include the Silver Age vigilante the Peacemaker.

The Peacemaker is a violent pacifist (no, really) who believes in peace so much he's willing to kill to achieve it. When Peacemaker first appeared on the comic book stands, it was as part of the now-defunct Charlton Comics, whose superhero properties were acquired by DC Comics. He's also one the Charlton refugees Alan Moore wanted to use for Watchmen.  When DC editor Dick Girodiano told Moore that DC wanted to save the Charlton characters for other things, Moore replaced the Charlton superheroes with his own altered versions of them. It was the Peacemaker who supplied the framework for Moore and Dave Gibbons' replacement the Comedian, whose murder sets the events of Watchmen in motion.

Collider also said that regardless of how much fans might want Dave Bautisa to play Batman-back-breaker Bane in The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker is the former WWE star's more likely destination. Bautista openly expressed interest in working on The Suicide Squad as soon as it was announced that James Gunn would be working on it, and according to Collider, Gunn was rumored at one point to be eyeing his Guardians of the Galaxy collaborator for Peacemaker.

The beginning of 2019 was a good time for The Suicide Squad writer/director James Gunn. In Mid-March, Deadline broke possibly the best news of the year thus far — that Disney had rehired James Gunn as the director for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. 

While most MCU fans were likely over the moon at hearing the news, fans of DC Comics' adaptations might have been a little concerned. After all, if Gunn was back on Guardians, did that mean he'd drop The Suicide Squad like a bad habit and go running back home?

According to Aquaman and Shazam! producer Peter Safran, the answer to that is a definitive no. Speaking to JoBlo, Safran said, "It was all handled incredibly elegantly and everybody knows on both sides that Suicide Squad is the priority today." Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Safran said, will be Gunn's next film after The Suicide Squad. That means, according to ScreenRant, Guardians fans will have to wait until 2023 at the earliest for the third installment of the MCU series. 

In early April 2019, a rumor surfaced about another character appearing in the film, though with no indication as to whether it would be a Task Force X member or an antagonist. Originating with Revenge of the Fans writer and Editor-In-Chief Mario-Francisco Robles, the rumor tells us writer/director James Gunn is looking for a "monstrous femme fatale... A surly, muscular alien woman. The kind of character that'll require heavy use of prosthetics." 

Nobles didn't make too many guesses about who the character might be, and at the time there wasn't enough information to pin it down. But in October 2019, set photos surfaced with many of The Suicide Squad's cast in costume, including what appears to be Mayling Ng made to look like the DC villain Mongal.

Everything about Mongal fits perfectly with the description in the earlier report. Like her father and twin brother — each named Mongul — Mongal is an alien tyrant with the kind of physical power that makes her a match for many of DC's strongest heroes. The "heavy use of prosthetics" is evident in the set photos, and Ng clearly has the muscles to make Mongal work.

April and May 2019 were busy months for The Suicide Squad casting reports. A couple of weeks after TheWrap broke the story of Viola Davis' return, Variety reported professional wrestler John Cena was in talks to join the cast. Cena has no shortage of action and comedy acting roles to his credit, and James Gunn — having worked with Dave Bautista on both Guardians of the Galaxy films — clearly has no issues working with wrestlers. 

In April 2019, Variety reporter Justin Kroll tweeted that John Cena was in talks to play the vigilante Peacemaker. The Peacemaker is a violent pacifist (no, really) who believes in peace so much he's willing to kill to achieve it. When Peacemaker first appeared on the comic book stands, it was as part of the now-defunct Charlton Comics, whose superhero properties were acquired by DC in 1983. He's also one of the Charlton refugees Alan Moore wanted to use for Watchmen. When DC editor Dick Girodiano told Moore that DC wanted to save the Charlton characters for other things, Moore replaced the Charlton superheroes with his own altered versions of them. It was the Peacemaker who supplied the framework for Moore and Dave Gibbons' replacement the Comedian, whose murder sets the events of Watchmen in motion.

Gunn's September 2019 cast list announcement confirmed Cena's involvement in the film. Photos have since surfaced of Cena on the set of The Suicide Squad, but there's nothing in the pics to indicate who he'll be playing.

When Collider first reported in March 2019 that they knew some of the names of The Suicide Squad's team members, one of the names was Ratcatcher — a traditionally male villain who controls an army of rats. The Collider story specified Ratcatcher would be gender-swapped, and would be played by a woman. 

A day after the news broke of David Dastmalchian's casting as Polka-Dot Man, Variety reported Portugese actress Daniela Melchior had been tapped for the role of the female Ratcatcher in The Suicide Squad. Melchior is relatively new to acting; her first acting credit came on the Portugese television program Mulheres in 2014, and the rest of her credits are for either TV shows or films produced in Portugal. The Suicide Squad will mark her first work on an American-based film. 

Variety's story also notes that Melchior's version of Ratcatcher has "some connection to whomever [Idris] Elba ends up playing." However, that doesn't necessarily shed any new light on Elba's character, as in the comics neither Sportsmaster nor Deathstroke have any specific connection to Ratcatcher. No one really seems to want to have any connection to Ratcatcher. He talks to rats. He's creepy.

The day after the debunked Rooker/King Shark story, Geeks WorldWide named another Guardians of the Galaxy veteran as being looked at for The Suicide Squad, but this time as an antagonist for Task Force X. The site said their sources told them Benicio del Toro — who played the enigmatic Collector in Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avengers: Infinity War — was the filmmakers' top choice for the unnamed opponent to the Suicide Squad. 

GWW went on to say the villain was being called simply "The Mayor" at this point and that he's an "irascible old warrior who lives for war." They also said Antonio Banderas was being considered for the part at one point, but didn't say anything about why Banderas was no longer the top choice.

At this point, it looks likely either either Del Toro was never in talks for the film or the discussions happened but nothing came of them. Del Toro's name doesn't appear on the cast list James Gunn posted in September 2019, and his name doesn't seem like one you'd leave out. Unless he has a surprise role in the film — which, considering how much of The Suicide Squad's story details are being kept under wraps, is certainly possible.

It's been rumored for a while but now we know for sure — at the end of May 2019, it was confirmed that Joel Kinnaman will be reprising his role as Rick Flag for The Suicide Squad. The confirmation was widely reported after Kinnaman posted a selfie on Instagram taken at a shooting range. The accompanying text said that Kinnaman was at the range "Easing into that squad preppppp...."

Until now the stories regarding Kinnaman's involvement have been conflicting. At the same time they broke the news of Idris Elba's involvement with the sequel in March, THR initially reported that Kinnaman wouldn't be around for the second film. That same month Kinnaman told Metro he couldn't "confirm or deny" his return, and in April Discussing Film claimed he was a lock. 

In June 2019, We Got This Covered reported that Warner Bros. is considering a Justice League vs. Suicide Squad movie, provided both The Suicide Squad and a future Justice League reboot prove successful. 

A foundation has already been built for such a clash in the source material. The first event of DC Comics' "Rebirth" era was a Justice League vs. Suicide Squad crossover that began at the end of 2016 and continued through 2017, running through the titles for each of the dueling teams as well as a Justice League vs. Suicide Squad mini-series. There was also that mid-credits scene in David Ayer's Suicide Squad, with Bruce Wayne threatening Amanda Waller that if she doesn't shut down Task Force X, he and his "friends" will do it for her, hinting that long before James Gunn came on board for The Suicide Squad, such a clash was in the back of someone's mind. 

With The Suicide Squad still two years away from release and no official word on any kind of Justice League reboot, it'll be a long time before we know anything about this for sure. Regardless, considering the line-ups of each team, it seems like a conflict waiting to happen. 

Kevin Smith, famous for (among many other things) the role of Silent Bob, is keeping far more true to his fictional persona than his usual talkative self when it comes to the inside info he has on The Suicide Squad. Of course, with Silent Bob, being mostly silent doesn't mean being completely silent. 

During his Fatman Beyond podcast, Smith asked if anyone knew who the villain for The Suicide Squad was. Met with no correct answers, the writer/director said, "Alright, I do, and I just can't say it then." Smith went on to explain that David Dastmalchian — who will be playing the Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad — told Smith who the main antagonist was going to be and then swore him to secrecy. Whoever it is, lifetime comic book fan/store owner Kevin Smith is clearly happy with the choice. 

"I'm not gonna spill it," Smith promised, "but if it is what I heard, it is f***ing phenomenal... and boy, is it in the right hands with James Gunn."

In early July 2019, we learned that Storm Reid of A Wrinkle in Time had been cast as the daughter of Idris Elba's character. This may shed some light on exactly who Elba is playing, or at least it might narrow the field. In February 2019, it had been reported that James Gunn originally courted Elba to replace Will Smith as the marksman/assassin Deadshot, but that it was later decided Elba would play someone else. Since then, there's been speculation about exactly who Elba would be playing, with some of the most theorized candidates including the mercenary Deathstroke, the villain Sportsmaster, and the Suicide Squad comics mainstay Bronze Tiger. 

If Reid is playing Elba's daughter, then that could eliminate Bronze Tiger from the running. One of the reasons Deathstroke and Sportsmaster were named early was because of rumors that Elba's character's daughter would be central to his motivations, and both of those characters have daughters in the source material who are important to their respective stories. Of course, even if the report is true, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. Whether or not Bronze Tiger has a daughter in the comics, after all, there's no reason Gunn couldn't create one for the movie.

In mid-August 2019 HN Entertainment claimed it had confirmed rumors that Central America would be the setting for The Suicide Squad. The site first reported that Warner Bros. was looking for someone "distinguished and regal-looking between the ages of 40-50" to pay a character named only as "Central American President." HN Entertainment later updated the story, reporting they'd confirmed at least one scene would be set in a Panama club. 

Of course, superhero movies tend to be global affairs these days, and the shooting of a single scene set in Panama doesn't necessarily mean anything. But considering that news, the working title El Dorado, and the apparent search for an actor to play a Central American President, it seems more and more likely most of The Suicide Squad will indeed take place somewhere in Latin America.

One of the characters we know will be showing up in The Suicide Squad is the massive King Shark. The beast is a man-monster of few words, who first became a regular Task Force X recruit in the first Suicide Squad comic series to follow DC Comics' New 52 reboot. A version of the character has shown up a couple of times on CW's The Flash, and he was one of Task Force X's recruits in the animated movie Batman: Assault on Arkham. 

In May 2019, reports surfaced that Michael Rooker would be playing King Shark, but it didn't take long for Rooker to debunk those rumors personally. We now know it won't be Rooker, but Steve Agee who will be voicing the man-shark for The Suicide Squad. Like Rooker, Agee appears in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as one of the mutinous Ravagers who turns on Yondu. Specifically, he's the Ravager wearing thick goggles killed by Yondu's arrow, moments after the arrow smashes his beer mug. 

Even before The Suicide Squad entered principal photography, Gunn wasted no time hyping the arrival of King Shark — the cast and crew's new break area, sponsored by Microsoft, was named after the beast. In mid-August, the writer/director took to Instagram to show off the "King Sharkade." The arcade includes a Guardians of the Galaxy-themed ping pong machine, a pool table, and a number of other arcade games. 

In late August 2019, a rumor hinted at a potential connection between The Suicide Squad and the upcoming Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). It was already reported that Birds of Prey was undergoing reshoots, with John Wick director Chad Stathelski designing new action sequences for the flick. According to We Got This Covered, one of the scenes added in the reshoots specifically addresses why Harley Quinn will find herself once again a part of Task Force X in The Suicide Squad. 

The site doesn't mention exactly what this scene will entail, but considering Amanda Waller tends to recruit from incarcerated convicts, it's possible the rumored scene would put Quinn behind bars once again — which itself would seem odd for a film whose five-mile-long subtitle centers on Harley's "Emancipation."

Of course, Harley doesn't necessarily have to be behind bars to show up in The Suicide Squad. Neither Rick Flagg nor Katana are prisoners in the 2016 film. We do wonder, though, why she would agree to sign up if she wasn't facing more years of incarceration. 

In late August 2019, in the midst of what seemed like an avalanche of casting news for The Suicide Squad, reports surfaced that the hilarious actor and filmmaker Taika Waititi was going to show up in the film. It's fitting that James Gunn and Waititi will be working together, particularly since Waititi's name was bandied about by fans as a potential replacement before it was announced that Gunn had gotten back in Disney's good graces and was returning to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, though he didn't want the job. 

This actually won't be Waititi's first appearance in a DC Comics superhero movie, though he probably hopes The Suicide Squad will be remembered in a better light than his earlier role. Waititi played the supporting character Tom Kalmaku in 2011's much-maligned Green Lantern. This means once The Suicide Squad hits theaters, Waititi will have acted in an equal number of Marvel and DC Comics films. Of course, the tie will be broken a few months later, assuming Waititi once again plays the rocky-skinned Korg in Thor: Lover and Thunder. 

On Friday, September 13th 2019, James Gunn took to social media to announce the full cast of The Suicide Squad, and the way he did must have pleased old-school fans of the comic. He posted an image with all the actors' names, with each name written in the same font and style as the original Suicide Squad comic book series: yellow text with bullet holes riddling the letters. Fittingly, Gunn wrote "Don't get too attached" in the caption, signaling that many of their characters wouldn't survive to see the credits. 

The list of names includes some a few long-awaited confirmations, a couple surprises, and some conspicuous absences. It finally confirms the return of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. Michael Rooker is included, even though he had previously said he wasn't cast in the flick. David Ayer's Suicide Squad alums Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, and Jai Courtney are all there. Sadly, it seems some actors reported as being attached — like Benicio del Toro and Dave Bautista — are nowhere to be found. It also confirms Jared Leto's Joker won't make a return... at least, not this time.

Names that had been prominently discussed throughout 2019 that this announcement confirmed: David Dastmalchian, Sean Gunn, Storm Reid, Daniela Melchior, Flula Borg, Nathan Fillion, Taika Waititi, Steve Agee, Idris Elba, Pete Davidson, and Peter Capaldi. And there are some brand new names, including Joaquín Cosio, Mayling Ng, Juan Diego Botto, Tinashe Kajese, Julio Ruiz, and Jennifer Holland.

In September 2019, James Gunn responded on Twitter to one of the strangest rumors we've heard about The Suicide Squad. A fan mentioned that she had heard the DC magician Zatanna would appear for a cameo in The Suicide Squad, and asked Gunn what was on his mind about who the fan called "my gorgeous girl." 

Gunn diplomatically wrote "I have nothing against Zatanna, but I have no idea where some of this stuff comes from. I never even thought of using her in [The Suicide Squad] (nor many of the other characters I keep hearing are in the film)." He ended his tweet with a little tribute to Zatanna nonetheless, writing, "!sromur yawA," which is "Away rumors!" backward. As any Zatanna fan knows — along with most DC comics readers — Zatanna casts her spells by saying what she wants to happen in reverse. For example, if she wants to teleport home, she might yell "emoh tropelet!" Which means, apparently, the toughest part of DC magical training is learning how to say stuff backwards at a moment's notice. 

We don't know if the disappointed Zatanna fan Gunn chanted "oemac a annataZ evig!" for a few hours after reading Gunn's tweet, but it couldn't hurt.

While responding to a fan on Instagram in September 2019, James Gunn revealed that while his upcoming film would take inspiration from all the various eras of the team, it was John Ostrander and Kim Yale's reinvention of the group as "the Dirty Dozen with disposable, second-rate supervillains" that most strongly informs The Suicide Squad.

To anyone who's been paying close attention, this shouldn't come as a surprise. In his announcement of the official cast list, Gunn went out of his way to use the same kind of font and style from the original Suicide Squad comic book covers — letters riddled with bullet holes — in the graphic. He also seems to be hinting — with the "Don't get too attached" tagline — that his film will have a higher body count than its predecessor, and late '80s/early '90s Suicide Squad reflects that as well. 

This could explain early reports that Margot Robbie would not be asked back as Harley Quinn (the reports were later corrected), since Harley wasn't even a part of DC Comics canon during the life of the original Suicide Squad comic, and wouldn't be recruited until the title's 2011 reboot. It's also tempting — considering the growing number of characters that Idris Elba is reported to be playing — to see Gunn's statement as evidence that Elba will be playing Bronze Tiger: a character all but absent in 21st century Suicide Squad comics, but who was an original series mainstay.

In October 2019, The Weekly Planet Podcast (via Cinemablend) reported that, for his longtime collaborator Nathan Fillion, James Gunn chose the role of Arm-Fall-Off-Boy. No, we didn't make the name up. The character has the ability — as his name implies — to detach his arms and legs from his body and use them as weapons. Apparently he chooses to not incorporate "Legs" into his codename because, you know... that would just sound weird. 

Arm-Fall-Off-Boy does not enjoy a particularly illustrious history in DC Comics. In his most celebrated moment during 1989's Secret Origins #46 — his first appearance — he's the first candidate rejected by the Legion of Super-Heroes in their tryouts for new members. 

It's worth noting not only that this report has not been confirmed, but the photos that surfaced of Nathan Fillion in costume feature an outfit that looks nothing like Arm-Fall-Off-Boy's get-up. Of course, that doesn't prove anything. It wouldn't be the first costume revamp a character got from page to screen, not to mention that it's conceivable Fillion would only agreed to the role if they redesigned the outfit. But who wouldn't want to be in a major motion picture in bright pink tights and studded cream-colored sleeves?

In October 2019, Looper obtained exclusive photos of Idris Elba and John Cena on the set of The Suicide Squad. 

The photos neither confirm nor debunk any of the rumors about what characters they might be playing, though it does show them both in orange prison garb. On the right pant leg of each is printed "B.R.C.C. INMATE," and since this is a movie about Task Force X, the B and R in "B.R.C.C." most likely stand for Belle Reve, the prison where Amanda Waller keeps all of her potential recruits for the Suicide Squad. 

If nothing else, the photos suggest the actors will be playing members of the Squad and not antagonists, unless of course they play members of the Squad who — like Enchantress from the 2016 film — turn on their colleagues. Considering most Task Force X recruits are murderers, thieves, and in some case even cannibals, the notion that some could also prove guilty of treachery is not only possible but practically inevitable. 

In November 2019, James Gunn made an intriguing claim while speaking to fans on Instagram. After sharing a behind the scenes clip from Guardians of the Galaxy, a fan wrote that it was "Good to see filmmakers are still using practical effects." In response, Gunn wrote "There are more practical sets and effects in #TheSuicideSquad than all my other films combined!!!"

It's an impressive claim, when you consider Gunn's films include Super, Slither, and two volumes of Guardians of the Galaxy. Of course, it's clear at least some CGI will be involved. The set photos that surfaced of some of the cast in full costume include Sean Gunn in a motion capture get-up, suggesting his character will be largely digital. The reported inclusion of King Shark seems likely to be handled with CGI. And if Nathan Fillion is playing Arm-Fall-Off-Boy? Well, we're certainly hoping they use CGI for that, otherwise he's going to need a lot of downtime before his next role.

There weren't a ton of Suicide Squad references in 2020's Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), though there was one widely-reported Easter egg involving one of Harley's old teammates. During Harley's assault on the Gotham Police Department, she takes a quick break from beating up cops to look at a wanted poster and say, "Hey, I know that guy!" The guy in question is Jai Courtney's Captain Boomerang.

This could mean nothing but the fact that the filmmakers wanted to drop a nice little Easter egg in Birds of Prey. But it could also be a hint about The Suicide Squad. One thing that stands out is the fact that Boomerang is on a wanted poster in Gotham City. The Aussie's usual stomping ground is Central City in the comics and the movies, which is why in 2016's Suicide Squad it's the Flash who captures the thief. 

It could simply mean that Boomerang decided to change zip codes for a bit. But it could also mean that during the events of Birds of Prey, Boomerang is already working for Task Force X. Remember — Amanda Waller isn't someone who likes to do a lot of sharing. If she were, hypothetically, to send the Suicide Squad on a mission to Gotham City, there's no reason to assume she would tell the local cops about it. Boomerang could've earned a wanted status working on the side of the angels. 

In February 2020 a set photo and video surfaced revealing a new look for Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. In the image, Robbie can be seen wearing a red dress, with her hair colored red, black, and white. It's an interesting choice, especially since that color scheme hearkens back to the character's cartoon roots. During her early appearances in Batman: The Animated Series, Harley was almost always wearing her black-red-and-white jester outfit. Even in the comics, she wasn't regularly shown outside of her jester get-up until the 2011 Suicide Squad series.

So far, most of the focus on these images has revolved around Harley's new look. But the set video in particular hints towards something potentially spoilery. In the video, Harley leaves a building and hails a cab while holding what looks like a spear. The video ends as she's trying to fit the spear in the cab. 

It seems possible that the spear belongs to another Squad member. In October 2019, set photos were revealed showing many of the Squad's members, including Flula Borg in a blue-and-yellow outfit. Borg is carrying something similar to the weapon Harley has in the set video, leading many to speculate Borg will be playing the DC Comics villain Javelin. Regardless of who he's playing, if the weapon Harley's carrying belongs to Borg's character, why does she have it? Has Borg's character bitten the dust by that point? Is Harley the one who sent him to the Great Beyond?

In February 2020, a set video leaked showing Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn and Idris Elba's character in action, along with two other actors who aren't quite as easy to identify. 

The short clip posted by Twitter user Calito Arauz (via DC Movie News) shows a crowd of people running away from something. Elba's character and Harley run toward whatever danger the civilians are fleeing, and they're followed by two other cast members. Judging by their costumes, it seems likely that the two actors taking up the rear are Daniela Melchor as Ratcatcher and David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man.

This video is one of the clearest shots we've gotten of Elba's character, whose identity has yet to be revealed. It still isn't clear who he's playing, but we do see him carrying what appears to be a large handgun. Of the many characters Elba has been rumored to be portraying, the presence of the handgun could point to Vigilante. Characters like Sportsmaster and Bronze Tiger aren't partial to handguns, while Vigilante and Deathstroke hardly go anywhere without one. At the same time Deathstroke usually carries a lot more arms than just a single handgun, leaving us with Vigilante. Of course, that's assuming two things: first, that Gunn's going with a more comic-book-accurate version of Elba's character (whoever it is), and second, that any of the various rumors about who Elba might be playing have been correct. 

In late February 2020, filming wrapped on The Suicide Squad. James Gunn posted the news to his Instagram page, along with a picture of the assembled cast and crew. 

While directing a major motion picture is sure to take its toll on anyone, Gunn seemed to have a particularly hard go of it with The Suicide Squad. Along with his announcement that filming had wrapped, Gunn captioned the cast/crew photo with "My father died two weeks before we started filming and my dog died two weeks before the end. It was a hard, hard time in my life and yet the most fulfilling time I've ever had making a movie." He goes on to praise the "professionalism, talent, compassion and kindness" of the film's cast and crew. 

The fact that the film wrapped in February is likely one of the major reasons it escaped the many COVID-19 related film delays. However, The Suicide Squad's post-production has been at least partly impacted by the pandemic. James Gunn, like many of us, is working from home. Asked by a fan on Twitter in April 2020 how he was passing the time in self-quarantine, Gunn answered that one of the many things he was doing was "Working on The Suicide Squad edit (from home)." 

In April 2020, James Gunn had a pretty interesting answer to a fan's question on Twitter. The fan asked Gunn which actor in The Suicide Squad would have the most screen time. Gunn responded, "I would consider answering this question a pretty sizable spoiler."

Considering Gunn's response and the mystery still surrounding his role, the obvious answer to the fan's question might be Idris Elba. While there are other characters whose roles haven't been fully revealed — e.g. John Cena is widely believed to be playing Peacemaker, but that's never been confirmed — no The Suicide Squad actor's part has inspired as much speculation as Elba's. 

On the other hand, how would revealing that Elba has the most screen time be a clue to who he's playing? The truth is that so much of The Suicide Squad has been kept under wraps that there's no way yet to fully know why Gunn would refuse to answer the question. Is it possible there's an actor we don't know about? Or is Gunn going to throw us a curve ball and make one of the seriously obscure characters the lead? Is Polka-Dot Man going to be narrating The Suicide Squad? Or Arm-Fall-Off-Boy?