In the wake of the performance of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice at the box office and with critics and audiences, word began to surface that Warner Bros. was taking steps to ensure that the rest of its DC Extended Universe films—at least in the immediate future—wouldn’t be as dour and moody as Zack Snyder’s brooding superhero smackdown. Obviously the World War I setting makes Wonder Woman a very different kind of film, and screenwriter Chris Terrio has already asserted that Justice League is tonally lighter than Batman v Superman, but rumors also swirled that Warner Bros. next film, Suicide Squad, was getting some reshoots to specifically amp up the levity.
Actor Jai Courtney recently addressed said rumors, saying “I wouldn’t say we’re going back to make it funnier, there’s some additional action stuff that we’ve been doing,” and now the film’s writer and director David Ayer has taken to Twitter to share a similar sentiment:
These reshoots are reportedly quite extensive, lasting for three weeks, so clearly this isn’t a simple case of adding a shot here or there. The length, then, seems to support Ayer and Courtney’s assertion that this additional photography is adding more action. And indeed it’s highly probable that Ayer and Co. are shooting a new action set piece to put into the film, which certainly signals that Warner Bros. is high on the project.
It’s impossible to deny that Batman v Superman has been somewhat of a disappointment. The film is raking in some serious money to be sure, but its box office reign lasted only two weeks and was dethroned by the Melissa McCarthy comedy The Boss, which no one saw coming a month ago. That kind of dropoff is not what you want for a massive, expensive superhero epic intended to jumpstart an interconnected superhero universe, and so it makes sense that Warner Bros. is now putting extra care and attention into Suicide Squad.
And to be fair, Suicide Squad has long felt like it could be the true breakout superhero film for Warner Bros., and judging by the solid new trailer released last night, we’re in for a very fun ride when the movie hits theaters on August 5th—now with more action.
For more on Suicide Squad, peruse our recent links below:
- 'Suicide Squad': Over 100 Images from the Wild New Trailer for the DC Adaptation
- 'Suicide Squad': Jai Courtney Praises David Ayer's "Psychotic" Creativity
- 'Suicide Squad': Common Teases Comic Book Movie Unlike Any You've Seen Before
- Jared Leto Talks His 'Hamlet'-Like Approach to Reinventing The Joker for 'Suicide Squad'
