Director James Gunn said the character Harley Quinn played by Margot Robbie is one of his favorite characters.

The Suicide Squad , the second film about the Suicide Squad in the DC Extended Universe, is ready to hit theaters in August. The film is written and directed by James Gunn.

Although not a direct prequel to Suicide Squad (2016), the film still welcomes the return of characters such as Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and ARGUS director Amanda Waller (Viola Davis).

In a recent interview with The New York Times , director James Gunn shared that his film could be separate from David Ayer’s 2016 debut – which is famous for pairing Harley Quinn and Joker (Jared Leto).

The image of Harley Quinn in Sucide Squad (2016) falls neatly under the shadow of the Joker.

“I want to create a version of the Suicide Squad that is closest to my imagination. Interacting with David’s film version may have unintentionally placed me in his shadow. I want the film I’m about to make to be a work that is faithful to itself.

When Warner Bros. asked me to make a movie about the Suicide Squad, I just watched Sucide Squad for the first time. Then I called them back and asked, what do I keep from this movie? They said nothing,” Gunn shared.

“They told me they wanted Margot Robbie in the movie, but if she wasn’t, that was fine. I had the option to choose new villains or re-use the entire cast from the previous movie,” the director continued.

In The Suicide Squad, the evil girl has her own stage to shine.

In The Suicide Squad , the evil girl has her own stage to shine.

As a result, James Gunn created a new Suicide Squad with Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) alongside Rick Flag, Harley Quinn and a host of new monsters.

In a previous interview, James Gunn expressed that Margot Robbie’s character Harley Quinn is one of his favorite characters. Gunn’s version of Quinn has a touch of the madness and freshness that the character portrayed in Birds of Prey (2020).

Gunn shared: “For me, Harley Quinn is listed as ‘just for looking, not for using’ like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Spider-Man or Hulk. For most of my career, I wrote scripts revolving around superhero groups that existed in comics but were quite obscure. I will give them a new life on screen.

From the beginning, Harley was impressively built by comic book author Paul Dini. Therefore, the reproduction of the character’s characteristics – including her crazy thoughts, sweet nature – as well as her cunning and freedom surprised me.”

“Warner Bros. gave me a project and gave me full creative freedom. That was one of the things the two sides agreed upon before I signed the contract. I don’t expect huge revenue, but I want the audience to understand that anything can happen,” James Gunn posted on his personal Twitter in October 2020.