‘Suicide Squad’ Creator Talks Movie, Casting & More

David Ayer (Fury) is directing the Suicide Squad movie as part of Warner Bros.’s slate of films based on DC Comics properties. With Suicide Squad scheduled to premiere following Warner Bros.’s next DC release, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, the film is beginning to take shape. Suicide Squad is set to begin production next spring in Toronto, Canada, and an official cast was announced last week.

In terms of how the film will align with the Suicide Squad comics, Ayer referred to the film as a “Dirty Dozen with supervillains.” John Ostrander, who wrote the Suicide Squad’s first appearance as well as their first standalone title, said that description is similar to his original vision. Ostrander also recently responded to the casting decisions for the upcoming film and suggested more characters he’d like to see on the big screen.

In an interview with CBR, Ostrander praised the A-list casting of Suicide Squad, saying Warner Bros. is “taking this very seriously.” Ostrander singled out Jared Leto as The Joker in particular, as it will be the actor’s first role since winning an Oscar for his appearance in Dallas Buyer’s Club.

Leto’s cast members include Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Will Smith as the assassin Deadshot, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, and Tom Hardy as Rick Flagg. Additionally, Oprah Winfrey, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer are Warner Bros.’s top choices to play Amanda Waller, the government agent who oversees the squad.

For the casting of Waller, Ostrander had a similar list of choices for the character due to their talent, attitude, and build – which resembles Ostrander’s take on Amanda Waller. The writer also added Queen Latifah as another of his choices, citing her work in Chicago as a testament to her ability to play the government agent.

As for additional characters he’d like to see, Ostrander named Bronze Tiger (who appeared in Arrow’s Suicide Squad episode) and Nightshade. The writer also added that Lex Luthor would be an interesting addition to the story. But, in terms of the plot for Suicide Squad, Ostrander said it seems they’re sticking with his original idea.

Read Ostrander’s full quote:

“It sounds like they are going with my original concept, which is that these are bad guys, and in order to earn their freedom, they have to go on missions, in which they could be killed. I’ve even read that they are talking about that as the film, as well. Which I think is a good one. My original pitch to DC was the Secret Society of Super-Villains meets ‘The Dirty Dozen.’ This sounds like they are fully behind the whole ‘Dirty Dozen’ concept. These are people that will get pardoned if they survive a very risky mission.”

Ostrander finished by saying that he would certainly be willing to work with Ayer and Warner Bros. on Suicide Squad, though there’s been no indication that will happen. He also said he’d like a cameo similar to those of Stan Lee in every Marvel movie, which would be a nice nod to fans, but, again, likely won’t happen.

Although Suicide Squad is bound to be different from the comics, Ostrander appears to believe Ayer and Warner Bros. are honoring the characters and team he created for DC Comics. As for fans who don’t believe Warner Bros. made the right choice in casting Suicide Squad, Ostrander urged viewers to wait to see the movie before judging the actors’ performances.

While Suicide Squad won’t align with every fans’ vision for the film they want to see, Ayer is trying to create the best movie possible for the widest range of people, including fans, casual moviegoers, and everyone in between. Though an endorsement from Ostrander may not mean much to some, it certainly gives the film a bit more credit among fans.

Suicide Squad will hit theaters August 5th, 2016.