The behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the pre-production of Warner Bros./DC Entertainment's The Suicide Squad is going to be tough for the movie itself to top, even for writer James Gunn. The project, which exists somewhere in the gray area between a sequel and a full-on reboot, will borrow some of David Ayer's mythology and cast of characters while also taking the franchise in a new direction. Headliner Will Smith will not return as Floyd Lawton, a.k.a. Deadshot, though Idris Elba is in talks to take his place. Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn and Jai Courtney's Captain Boomerang will return, alongside new characters like Peacemaker and King Shark that have yet to be cast. But another pivotal player is expected to be back as well.

The Wrap reports that Viola Davis will return as Amanda Waller, the tough, no-nonsense government agent who's in charge of the title team and who previously put them through their paces in Ayer's 2016 flick. Last time around, Waller's convoluted plan included assembling Task Force X in order to liberate a high value target (herself) from a hostile location, all as part of an attempt to cover her own tracks. Later, in a mid-credits scene that will probably amount to nothing, Waller met with Bruce Wayne who agreed to look the other way on her screw-up with Enchantress in exchange for access to government files tracking metahumans. That ended with a veiled threat that Batman and his buds would put an end to Task Force X if Waller didn't do it first. Now while there's a chance that this thread could be picked up in Gunn's follow-up film, I wouldn't hold my breath. But Davis holding court as Waller again? We're in. (Oh and Joel Kinnaman might be back as Rick Flag, at least according to Discussing Film; flag that one as a rumor for now.) We'll find out more before it hits theaters on August 6, 2021.

For more on all things Suicide Squad, be sure to get caught up with these recent write-ups:

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Image via Warner Bros.