David Ayer Shows Off His #SuicideSquad

The director posts the first group photo, but one big question remains.

Story by Matt Cummings

With Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice prepping its first trailer to premiere in May with Mad Max: Fury Road and other news whetting the appetites of fans everywhere, DC's other hot property Suicide Squad has been making their own waves as well. On Tuesday, Director David Ayer posted this photo of the first read-through for the film:

The #SuicideSquad cast reading is a who's who of #Hollywood. http://t.co/GsZjNlEcSz pic.twitter.com/18oe60uhsS

— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 10, 2015

Pictured in the photo are Will Smith (Deadshot), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Jai Courtney (Boomerang), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flagg), Cara Delevingne (Enchantress), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Croc), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) and a few new additions. This week, we also learned that Adam Beach and Ike Barinholtz (also pictured) have joined as Ravan and Doctor Hugo Strange respectively. Apparently, Joe Manigianello is also out as Deathstroke, replaced by Jim Parrack (pictured on right with the hat).

The big question is why Jared Leto (The Joker) is absent. Of course, one could assume that Ayer doesn't want to tip his hand as to the size of The Joker, which several reports have claimed that he's adding weight and a green hair color to the role. Besides, DC loves to promote its films with big reveals, so don't be surprised if we begin to see elements of The Joker begin to pop up on Ayer's Twitter account.

As for the movie itself, rumors are that Suicide Squad is set between 2013's Man of Steel and 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and will focus on the relationship between Batman and The Joker. It's set for an August 5, 2016 release just 5 months before Dawn arrives on March 25th. Two movies so close to one another also signals that the films will mostly likely feed off one another, setting the stage for some big plots moving forward.

What are you looking for from a Suicide Squad movie? Are you happy with the cast David Ayer has assembled? Comment below and join the conversation!

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