SALT LAKE CITY — Batman fans should sit down — the Caped Crusader probably isn’t going to appear in the upcoming “Suicide Squad” sequel.
ComicBook.com reports director James Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) recently shared a screenshot of Instagram messages asking for “Batman scenes” in the upcoming DC movie. These comments aren’t necessarily out of nowhere — Ben Affleck’s Batman appeared in the first “Suicide Squad” in 2016 for a few scenes.
However, Gunn’s response indicates the movie will stay focused on the titular team, which features low-rent villains completing dangerous jobs for ARGUS director Amanda Waller in exchange for commuted prison sentences, according to DC’s website.
”You can check out Batman in #TheBatman, June 2021. #TheSuicideSquad will feature mostly, you know, The Suicide Squad,” Gunn wrote on his Instagram story.
While it’s not a full confirmation that Batman won’t appear in the movie, other factors make the appearance a long shot. Variety reports that Affleck hung up his cape earlier this year after he “couldn’t crack” a story for a solo film. Instead, Matt Reeves’ Batman movie was greenlit and Robert Pattinson was cast as the hero back in May, according to the Deseret News.
Affleck isn’t the only big star who won’t appear in “The Suicide Squad” — Collider notes Will Smith, who played Deadshot in the first movie, won’t return for the sequel due to scheduling conflicts. However, Idris Elba will star in the movie as a new character.
PopSugar reports Elba will be joined by Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, all of whom return from the original movie. Other rumored newcomers include John Cena as Peacemaker, David Dastmalchian as the Polka-Dot Man and Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher.
Deadline also reports Gunn will return to direct “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3” after wrapping up work on “The Suicide Squad,” which is planned for an Aug. 6, 2021, release date.