The Suicide Squad (film)

''The Suicide Squad'' is a 2021 American superhero film based on the DC Comics team Suicide Squad. Produced by DC Films, Atlas Entertainment, and the Safran Company, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a standalone sequel to ''Suicide Squad'' (2016) and the 10th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film was written and directed by James Gunn and stars an ensemble cast including Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, Alice Braga, and Pete Davidson. In the film, several convicts join a task force known as the "Suicide Squad" in exchange for lighter sentences. They are sent to the South American island nation of Corto Maltese to destroy all traces of the giant alien starfish Starro the Conqueror before it falls into the local government's control.

David Ayer was set to return as director for a ''Suicide Squad'' sequel by March 2016, but in December he chose to work on other projects. Warner Bros. considered several replacements before hiring Gavin O'Connor in September 2017. He left due to creative differences, and Gunn was hired in October 2018 to write and direct the film after being temporarily fired by Disney and Marvel Studios as director of ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'' (2023). He drew inspiration from war films and John Ostrander's 1980s ''Suicide Squad'' comics, and explored new characters in a story separate from the first film's narrative, though some cast members do return from ''Suicide Squad''. Filming took place from September 2019 to February 2020, primarily in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as in Colón, Panama, and Porto, Portugal. The film had the biggest sets ever built for a Warner Bros. production.

''The Suicide Squad'' premiered theatrically in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2021. It was released in the United States on August 5, simultaneously in theaters and on the streaming service HBO Max. Although it bombed at the box office after grossing just $169 million worldwide against a production budget of $185 million, the film received positive reviews from critics and became the most-streamed DCEU film on HBO Max. The film's box office performance was attributed to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the film's availability on HBO Max, and its relationship to the first ''Suicide Squad''. ''Peacemaker'', a spin-off television series starring Cena, debuted on HBO Max in January 2022. Two other spin-off series are in development for Max, including ''Waller''.

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