Warner Bros. has given viewers behind-the-scenes footage from James Gunn's The Suicide Squad - and here are all the key takeaways from the shots. The coronavirus pandemic and its associated lockdowns meant this year's SDCC - which transformed into Comic-Con@Home - was something of a let-down. Warner Bros. has decided to make up for that, however, by launching their own dedicated DC FanDome event. This is packed with exclusive reveals for DC movies.
James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is one of the most exciting films on the DC slate. A quasi-reboot, it features a completely different cast to David Ayer's original Suicide Squad, and the team are up against original villains who've been created specially for the DCEU. Juan Diego Botto is General Luna and Joaquín Cosío plays Major General Suarez, and it looks as though they're the rulers of some sort of rogue state. The Suicide Squad are sent in as a task force to institute a regime change, with the US Government maintaining plausible deniability. After all, can the US really be blamed if a bunch of supervillains take it upon themselves to overthrow another nation's government?
The video is a fascinating one, frenetically edited and completely out of sequence. Frequently the same shots are revisited from different camera-angles, meaning it's pretty much impossible to get a sense of the flow of the story. Still, for all that's the case, here are the biggest takeaways from The Suicide Squad's behind-the-scenes footage.
32. A Mysterious Building That's Clearly A Key Location
The Suicide Squad behind-the-scenes video opens with footage of a mysterious set that's been constructed, and will clearly be improved by CGI. This appears to be a key structure in the mystery nation being invaded by Suicide Squad, and it's revisited throughout the video. It appears to be used for several action sequences, possibly in the third act, with later shots showing explosions on this set.
31. The Suicide Squad Trekking
The next shot is a mysterious one, showing four of the Suicide Squad trekking over a mountainous slope as the sun sets behind them. The silhouettes are difficult to identify, but one appears to be female - perhaps Harley Quinn - while another is clearly King Shark. It's impossible to figure out the context for this shot; it could well be this is one of the final scenes, and that in the end these are the sole survivors from Task Force X walking off into the sunset.
30. Fight Them On The Beaches
A number of sequences are set on what appears to be a tropical beach, flanked by palm trees and tropical vegetation. Palm trees are common close to the equator, and throughout South America, so this may suggest Suicide Squad is attempting to overthrow a South American dictatorship. The United States has frequently been involved in instituting regime change in Latin America, historically in order to overthrow left-wing governments and replace them with right-wing, usually authoritarian, successors. Beach battles are a classic trope in '70s war films, so it comes as no surprise to see a lot of action and explosions on the beaches.
29. A Mysterious Stash of Guns
A lot of shots also appear to be set in some sort of hotel, with a distinctive architectural style and floor patterns suggesting they're all set in the same place. One of the earliest shots of the hotel, however, suggests it's something of a front; one level has been turned into an armory, with a small arsenal kept behind bars. This may suggest a civil war of some kind, with the hotel converted by freedom fighters or a relatively new government.
28. Possible Evidence of Guerrilla Warfare
Another of the more curious scenes shows a jungle encampment of some kind; again, stylistically this is reminiscent of '70s war films inspired by the Vietnam War. This s the theory Suicide Squad has been sent in to a rebel movement in this mysterious country, and that they're allied with guerrilla forces who are attempting to overthrow the current government. Few shots are shown set in this specific location, so it's difficult to say for certain.
27. A Ruined Laboratory
The Suicide Squad promises to be full of surprises, and while the behind-the-scenes footage suggests a simple enough story, there are brief hints of a far more complex narrative. One shot - displayed for less than half a second - shows a ruined laboratory of some kind. The general style seems to suggest this may be in the main building on the island, suggesting Suicide Squad has been sent in because the current government is conducting dangerous experiments of some kind. That would explain why the US Government secretly believe they need to be overthrown.
26. Mysterious Red Chemicals
Another curious shot shows strange tubes of a mysterious red chemical. No context is provided for this shot, which actually runs for just over a quarter of a second, giving an idea of the insane pace of the behind-the-scenes video. It's impossible to say whether this is a United States lab, or one on the island nation; if the former, this could be used to maintain the brain-bombs traditionally implanted in of Task Force X in order to force their compliance.
25. A Glimpse of Savant
The Suicide Squad behind-the-scenes footage only shows brief glimpses of some characters, who appear to be secondary to the plot. This makes sense; this is Suicide Squad, after all, and James Gunn has warned audiences not to get too attached to anyone. One Task Force X member who only appears a handful of times is Michael Rooker's Savant. In the comics, he's a former vigilante turned computer hacker. The makeup is a little different to Savant's traditional look, with different flesh tones. The costume, however, is comic-book-accurate.
24. The Suicide Squad Run
There are a number of shots of of Task Force X running, and it's clear they've split up during their mission. One shot shows four of them running through some sort of slum, which doesn't appear to be densely populated. It's possible civilians have retreated indoors so as to avoid the combat, or alternatively the entire town may have been abandoned, with its inhabitants already having fled.
23. Harley Quinn's Circle of Death
Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is clearly still a core member in The Suicide Squad, which makes perfect sense; James Gunn's intense and energetic style feels almost tailor-made for Margot Robbie's character. She's easily the most recognizable character in The Suicide Squad, and has long been viewed as DC Comics' 'fourth pillar' (after Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman). In one stunning sequence, Harley Quinn spins round in a circle of death, gunning down soldiers as they rush at her from all sides. It's a tremendously effective sequence, likely to be as fast-paced in the film as it is in the behind-the-scenes footage. Notice the dress she's wearing, which matches with a later scene set in the hotel where she continues her rampage, but uses a staff instead.
