James Gunn's THE SUICIDE SQUAD Will Draw From John Ostrander's Comic Run and Hints at Idris Elba's New Character

Writer and director James Gunn took to Instagram to confirm his inspiration for his upcoming DC film The Suicide Squad. He posted an image on his Instagram Stories of a cover of one of John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad comics confirming that his upcoming film will draw from this acclaimed ‘80s comic book run.

Deadshot and Rick Flagg have central roles in the comic series, and it had a rotating cast of supporting characters. One of those characters is Bronze Tiger, a prominent Suicide Squad member during Ostrander's run. Bronze Tiger could very well be the new character that Elba is playing in the film, since he is no longer playing Deadshot.

It makes sense that Gunn would be influenced by a comic run from the ‘80s. Guardians of the Galaxy also had a heavy ‘80s influence. There is no specific storyline that Gunn will adapting. Like Guardians, he will capture the spirit of these comics and use them as his inspiration for the story he decides to tell that fits his signature style.

The film will also bring back Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, and Joel Kinnaman will reprise his role as Rick Flagg

These characters will join a few new villainous characters that include Ratcatcher, Peacemaker, King Shark and Polka Dot Man. There’s also supposed to be a monstrous alien woman who will also appear in the film, and Killer Frost is rumored to show up as well.

While we don’t have any concrete story details, it is rumored that the current draft of the script could “follow the team on a mission to the Middle East to stop Onslaught and infiltrate their headquarters in Qurac. This seems like a fitting type of story for the ‘Suicide Squad’ that will keep the stakes lower compared to the first film.”

The Suicide Squad release date is currently set for Aug. 6, 2021.

Here’s the comic art that Gunn posted: