Of all of the actors in David Ayer’s 2016 superhero film, “Suicide Squad,” Joel Kinnaman is probably the one that got hammered the most by fans and critics. That isn’t to say that Kinnaman completely blew it in the role of Rick Flag, but the film’s rushed script and terrible editing seem to have affected the actor more than others. (Let’s be real, there’s no way to make this scene work, no matter if it’s Kinnaman or Leonardo DiCaprio.) But Kinnaman is getting a do-over, in a sense, with the upcoming James Gunn-directed pseudo-sequel/reboot “The Suicide Squad.” And the actor seems pretty damn psyched.
Speaking to THR, Kinnaman was asked about what James Gunn brings to “The Suicide Squad” and why he’s so happy to be working on the new film. But honestly, it doesn’t matter what he was asked because the actor takes the cue and just unloads about everything that he feels is wonderful with Gunn’s interpretation.
“Yeah, that movie is going to be insane,” said Kinnaman. “The script is so funny. Every page of that script was funny, and every page made me laugh. James just has this command of that genre, but also over every aspect of comedy and even the marketing. He just understands the world so well, and since he wrote it, he really reinvents not just the concepts, but also the characters.”
He continued, “For me, it was like I did my first comedy, but it’s like heavily R-rated. So much of the action is practical with real explosions, and yeah, that movie is going to be insane. It’s such a great cast that he put together…And he knows exactly when he gets what he needs because his ear is so attuned to it. It was a real learning experience for me too because I’d never done a comedy in that way before. So I asked James to work with me and teach me this shit. And yeah, we had so much fun doing it. That movie is going to be a fucking monster. Honestly, even though I’m in it, I can’t wait to see it as a fan.”
Kinnaman seems to be echoing the sentiments of many of the people who are returning to the “Suicide Squad” franchise in Gunn’s new film. There’s this overall feeling that Gunn has crafted something special that mixes the humor from “Guardians of the Galaxy” with the adult, violent sensibilities of the ‘Squad.’ It’ll be interesting to see if the film is able to fully live up to this sort of hyperbolic talk or if this is just a case of actors being super excited about working on something that they might not have figured out completely with the first film (to put it mildly).
James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” is set to be released by Warner Bros. on August 6, 2021.