Idris Elba's 2021 superhero film The Suicide Squad, widely regarded as one of the best in the genre, is now streaming on Netflix. Fans have long called for a sequel to the James Gunn-directed movie, which has earned a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Elba's Busy Career
The 53-year-old actor recently appeared in Masters of the Universe as Man-At-Arms, and last year starred in Heads of State, A House of Dynamite and Zootopia 2. He has also featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Trek and DC franchises, and voiced Knuckles in the Sonic The Hedgehog series, which spawned its own spin-off.
His TV work includes the BBC series Luther, which got a Netflix movie, and his The Wire character Stringer Bell is ranked among the medium's greatest. He also had a memorable guest stint on The US Office. Next year, Elba will star in the fantasy film Children of Blood and Bone alongside Damson Idris, Amandla Stenberg, Cynthia Erivo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Regina King and Viola Davis.
The Film's Plot and Cast
Released in 2021, The Suicide Squad is a sequel to the 2016 Suicide Squad film. Only Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag and Viola Davis's Amanda Waller returned from the original cast. The plot follows convicts who join a task force in exchange for lighter sentences, sent to the island nation of Corto Maltese to destroy traces of the alien starfish Starro the Conqueror.
James Gunn, known for Guardians of the Galaxy, wrote and directed the project. He later became Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of DC Studios and made Superman last year. Elba plays Robert DuBois, codenamed Bloodsport, a mercenary with biometric weaponry. The cast also includes John Cena, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Peter Capaldi, Alice Braga, Pete Davidson and Sylvester Stallone, who voices a giant shark.
Reception and Fan Demand
Due to the pandemic, the film was released in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously in the US. It made $169 million against a $185 million production budget. Critics gave it a 90% score based on 386 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus: “Enlivened by writer-director James Gunn's singularly skewed vision, The Suicide Squad marks a funny, fast-paced rebound that plays to the source material's violent, anarchic strengths.”
While Cena's Peacemaker got a spin-off show, many fans have spent five years campaigning for a sequel, though its box office take makes it unlikely. On Reddit, fans have left glowing reviews. One user wrote: “Honestly it’s an amazing movie that really showed how Gunn is a top tier writer and a true character director.” Another said: “Slept on. Lots of people haven’t seen this gem because of how bad the original is.” A third added: “Really fun movie, great cast, really enjoyed it. Wish we’d get Idris and some of these characters back in the new DCU.” Another commented: “Loved it, one of the better superhero movies out there. Peak Elba, Cena and Kinnaman.” One user stated: “One of the best blockbusters of the decade. It’s hilarious, emotional, has great action, stakes, plot twists, it looks great and embraces its comic-book roots.”
