The 2016 DC movie Suicide Squad might not have been a hit with critics, but there's no denying it was a box office success. The film, which was directed by David Ayer (Bright, Fury), made more than $746 million at the worldwide box office and was one of that year's biggest grossing films. The sequel was announced in early 2017, with Mel Gibson and Jaume Collet-Serra considered as directors, before The Accountant's Gavin O'Connor signed on in September that year.

However, that movie didn't happen. Actor Joel Kinnamon suggested the movie would start shooting in 2018, but it was never given a release date by DC and never went into production. In October 2018, Variety's Justin Kroll reported that the plot O'Connor was developing for Suicide Squad 2 was very close to that of Birds of Prey, which was in development at DC at the same time. When Birds of Prey was greenlit ahead of his Suicide Squad sequel, O'Connor left the project.

Nevertheless, a different Suicide Squad movie is on the way. The film, titled The Suicide Squad, is currently set for a 2021 release. And while it's not a direct sequel like O'Connor's movie was intended to be, it's not a complete reworking either, as some of the first film's cast are returning to the same roles. But while there is still a lot of mystery about the film, quite a bit of information has been confirmed. So here's everything we know so far about The Suicide Squad.

Who's the director?

James Gunn is the writer and director of The Suicide Squad. Gunn is, of course, also the writer/director of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and is the first filmmaker to work for both the MCU and the modern DC movies. Gunn was hired by DC after he temporarily left the Marvel family following the controversy over his old tweets in 2018--but has since returned and will make Guardians 3 after The Suicide Squad. Gunn was initially announced as The Suicide Squad's writer, before it was confirmed he would direct as well.

What's the release date?

The Suicide Squad is currently schedued to hit theaters on August 6, 2021. Although many movies set to be released over the next two years have been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Suicide Squad had already completed production before much of Hollywood was shut down. In April, Gunn tweeted: "Right now there's no reason for The Suicide Squad release date to move. We are on or ahead of schedule. We were extremely fortunate to wrap shooting and set up editing from our homes (due to a post-production team and studio with foresight) before quarantine."

Who's new to the cast?

Since this isn't a direct sequel to the first Suicide Squad movie, there are a lot of new names in the cast. Many of the characters haven't been revealed yet, but in terms of those we do know, David Dastmalchian (Ant-Man, The Flash) will play Polka-Dot Man, Daniela Melchior (Black Book) is Ratcatcher, and Steve Agee (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) will perform the voice of King Shark.

The list of stars in undisclosed roles is very impressive too. It includes Idris Elba, John Cena, Nathan Fillion, Peter Capaldi, Pete Davidson, Alice Braga, Michael Rooker, and Taika Waititi. While it was initially rumored that Elba would take over the role of Deadshot, played by Will Smith in the first movie, it was subsequently reported that he will be playing a new character.

Who's coming back?

Despite the predominantly new cast, there are a handful of stars returning to world of Suicide Squad. Margot Robbie will play Harley Quinn for the third time, following her performance in the 2016 movie and this year's Birds of Prey. She'll be joined by Viola Davis as government agent Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang.

If it's not a sequel, what is it?

The filmmakers of The Suicide Squad have emphasized that it's not a direct follow-up to the first movie. In April 2019, producer Peter Safran told ComicBook.com: "It's not Suicide Squad 2. It is not a sequel," and described it as a "total reboot." What that means exactly is unclear, since four of the first movie's cast are back in the same roles that they played in 2016. But even though the filmmakers are keen to distance themselves from the first movie, its director David Ayer has given James Gunn his blessing. "I think it's an incredibly brave and smart move by the studio," he said. "James is the right man for the job."

What's the story?

There are no official details about the plot of The Suicide Squad so far. In March 2019, The Hollywood Reporter stated that Gunn's script "draws heavily from Jon Ostrander and Kim Yale's '80s run, rather than the more recent New 52 iteration that inspired Ayer's film." Although, confusingly, those comics focused heavily on Deadshot, who might not feature. One thing to know however is that the film will be funny. In an interview with Variety, Kinnaman said: "[Gunn has] written a fantastic script. It's so funny... I feel like I'm shooting my first comedy."

Is there any footage or images?

No official images or footage from the movie have been released yet. There is a logo, however, and some behind-the-scenes images of Robbie as Harley Quinn emerged in February.