The Director

David Ayer is the brave director (and writer!) of Suicide Squad, and with experience directing action-heavy flicks like Fury and End of Watch, he's more than qualified.

The Cast

The movie is jam-packed with Hollywood A-listers [4], including Will Smith [5] as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto [6] as the Joker, Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, and more.

The Basic Plot

No official storyline has been released yet, but fans can probably expect the movie to follow the same basic premise from the comic books. To break it down very simply, a group of imprisoned supervillains is rounded up by the United States government to complete dangerous, high-risk missions in exchange for their freedom. With each mission completed, their sentences are gradually reduced, but all are seen as expendable (hence their moniker, "Suicide Squad"). The villains we'll see in the movie are expected to be Harley Quinn, the Joker, Deadshot, Katana, Enchantress, Killer Croc, El Diablo, Boomerang, Slipknot, Monster T, and Rick Flag (the military man charged with keeping them all in line).

The Release Date

Prepare for the squad to explode into a theater near you on Aug. 5.

The Joker Is Going to Be Just as Batsh*t as We All Hope

It's safe to say Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto [7] is going full method in his portrayal of one of comic-book history's most iconic villains. According to actor Adam Beach, who plays Slipknot, Leto gifted his costars with a rat, bullets, and a dead hog. "He sent [Margot Robbie] a nice love letter with a black box with a rat in it — a live rat," Beach told E! News [8]. "It was beautiful. Then he sent bullets to Will [Smith] with a letter." Beach also added that Leto sent the cast a dead hog and a video message promising his dedication to the film. "Basically, what he said was, 'Guys, I can't be there but I want you to know I'm doing my work as hard as you guys.' The video he showed is in character. It blew our minds away. Then we realized that day, this is real."

Leto himself has said that he's taking the Joker very seriously. "The work that's been done on this character by so many people before me has been so impactful, so incredible, so much fun, so profound, so risky, that it's a very special thing to be asked to take on that responsibility," he told Entertainment Weekly [9], before adding, "It's a weighty thing to do. But it's exciting. The Joker is one of those roles. He was written brilliantly when he was first shared with the world 75 years ago, or something crazy like that. And I think I'm just really grateful I had the opportunity."

Harley Quinn Will (Reportedly) Get the Complexity She Deserves

Harley Quinn is finally getting her live-action film debut after first appearing in 1992's Batman: The Animated Series, and it seems like Ayer is going to do her justice. As a former psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, Dr. Harleen Quinzel is corrupted by the Joker and turns into Harley Quinn, and the director is intent on showing the audience a solid reason behind her actions. Instead of having her simply appear as a one-dimensional sidekick, Ayer tweeted [10], "The case of Harley Quinn: Her madness defines her. Is she mad because of WHO she loves or because she loves him so much?"

Enchantress Will Get a New Origin Story

Don't let the flashiness of Harley Quinn or the Joker fool you — the lesser-known characters (Slipknot, El Diablo) are going to have their big moments, too. Chief among them appears to be Enchantress, who's getting a brand-new origin story. In the comics, she's a normal teenage girl named June Moore who attends a costume party at Terror Castle and is transformed into a black-haired superhero with magical abilities after casually bumping into a demon in a secret passageway (classic Friday night if we've ever heard one). Sadly, June's mind can't take it, she suffers a mental break, and she turns to a life of crime.

Cara Delevingne will take on Enchantress in the film, and the trailer alludes to a twist in June's origin — instead of a costume party, June will be transformed while spelunking in a cave. Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) also can be heard saying she's "possessed by a witch" while assessing their motley crew, so keep that in mind, too.

Common Is Playing a Mysterious Character

Not too much is known about Common's character just yet, other than the fact he's a bad dude who goes by the name "Monster T." Common did happen to throw fans the tiniest, saddest bone (like, literally one scrap of meat on it) in an interview with Complex [11] earlier in March, though. "My role [in Suicide Squad] is basically a character who's in business with the Joker. His name is Monster T." Hopefully more details will leak closer to the August release!

Batman Will Make an Appearance

Ben Affleck was spotted on set in Toronto [12] in June 2015, where he was seen filming some kind of car chase with the Joker and Harley Quinn. More rumors have popped up here and there about his second appearance in the DC Extended Universe, but none have been confirmed.

The Flash Will Also Appear

Ezra Miller will also reprise his role [13] as the Flash. He first (ever-so-briefly) appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

The Soundtrack

With a movie this big, it's no surprise that the studio went all out for its soundtrack [14]. Twenty One Pilots were tasked with writing an original song for the film ("Heathens"), and they're joined on the soundtrack by high-profile artists like Lil Wayne, Imagine Dragons, Eminem [15], Panic! at the Disco, and Skrillex. Although a lot of the tracks aren't yet available, check out the songs we do have access to below: