Don’t Worry, Captain Boomerang Is The Same Guy In The Suicide Squad

Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang in Suicide Squad
(Image credit: (Warner Bros))

James Gunn’s upcoming take on The Suicide Squad is still a rare and puzzling film production. It follows David Ayer’s 2016 blockbuster hit and will feature four of the same characters, yet it’s also been called a “reboot.” Not to mention the title, which certainly doesn’t have a number two next to it. Among those returning to the Task Force X crew is Jai Courtney’s gold-toothed Captain Boomerang. Here’s what the actor said about his character:

Tonally, there are going to be things in James' touch with stuff which evolves somewhat from where we were at. But I'm not reinventing Boomerang, by any means. He's definitely the same dude. He might have a little bit of a different costume or something, but I think the essence of him is a well and truly alive.

There you have it. Jai Courtney’s version of Captain Boomerang hasn’t been dramatically changed much at all. He’ll still be up to his typical wrongdoings and delivering comedic one-liners, but he’ll be part of a movie helmed by Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn and have a lot more baddies to team up with.

To stay cohesive in the DC Extended Universe, wouldn’t it be strange if Jai Courtney’s Boomerang had a completely different vibe to him with his return? If James Gunn decided to bring back this version of Captain Boomerang, he liked what he saw in the original film and had an idea about how to continue his onscreen story.

Joining Jai Courtney from David Ayer’s first film is Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller. Aside from those four, The Suicide Squad is packed with new talent including John Cena, Nathan Fillion, Pete Davidson, Taika Waititi, Peter Capaldi, Michael Rooker and Idris Elba.

In Jai Courtney’s interview with ET, he was also asked whether The Suicide Squad (which began production in Atlanta a couple weeks ago) felt like a continuation of a journey or a new experience. In his words:

It's a bit of both. I mean, there's some familiar faces and some old friends and a whole bunch of new people as well. It's a cool, big cast. It's a great group of people. James Gunn has an amazing energy and I really trust him and what he's going to do with this. I guess those feelings of comparing it to the first thing and everything have sort of subsided now. It was such a long time between drinks, and we were never really sure what the plan was going to be or how it was going to come together, if it was going to come together. So it's great to be back in the saddle again, but it's going to be a whole new thing at the same time. I don't know, man. I guess in that sense, it's great to revive the role but on a fresh adventure and just embracing that.

Sounds like the new set has Jai Courtney feeling confident about returning to his Captain Boomerang role! He describes a nice balance between feeling back at home with the character and having a fresh take from James Gunn to keep the franchise on track. The actor has previously described the upcoming movie as “tonally different” than the original.

But, The Suicide Squad is almost two years away from release. James Gunn is filming early so he can move to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 directly after for an undisclosed release date, presumably in the Phase Five slate. The Suicide Squad will come to theaters on August 6, 2021.

Until then, DC fans will have plenty to keep them pumped. Joker is now in theaters, Birds of Prey will see the return of Harley Quinn next February and Wonder Woman 1984 comes in summer 2020!

Are you excited for The Suicide Squad? Sound off in the comments below!

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.