ScreenCrush’s Comic Strip is a weekly roundup of the hottest superhero movie/TV news items. From Marvel to DC and points in between, if it pertains to costumed comic book heroes, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, 'Suicide Squad' is targeted for a cinematic adaptation, 'Deadpool' finally gets the green light, and every DC show reveals something new.

DC's 'Suicide Squad' May Actually Head to the Big Screen

Suicide Squad Movie David Ayer
DC Comics
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In news that came out of nowhere and left the internet sitting in a daze and thinking "This is a thing that's actually happening?", it was revealed that Warner Bros. is not only still hard at work on a 'Suicide Squad' movie, but that David Ayer is looking to direct.

Some quick background: the Suicide Squad team in the DC universe is made up entirely of villains who are given a chance at reduced sentences or pardons if they do the government's dirty work. The team has included popular characters like Harley Quinn, old standbys like Deadshot, and more obscure guys like Captain Boomerang. Due to the subject matter, this group has always been portrayed as a little darker and more intense than the goody two shoes over at the Justice League, and if done right, they'd make for an interesting film.

The fact that Ayer is interested gives us an idea of how Warner Bros. sees this team. As the writer of films like 'Training Day' and the director 'End of Watch' and the upcoming 'Fury,' Ayer has become one of Hollywood's go-to guys for gritty movies about morally complex/corrupt characters. He's about as different as you can get from Zack Snyder, which makes us more confident that the studio is looking for some real variety in their superhero projects. Bring this one on!

That 'Deadpool' Movie Is Officially Happening

First, Ryan Reynolds reacted to the extremely positive internet reaction to that leaked 'Deadpool' test footage, saying:

There was such an overpowering reaction to the footage, you sort of feel like, "Oh, so we weren’t crazy for our reasons for loving this character, for loving this role." It’s interesting to see the power of the Internet. It’s awe-inspiring, actually. And it’s neat that Twitter and Facebook and Instagram can move mountains when used in the right way.

And then, right on cue, 20th Century Fox announced that 'Deadpool' was moving forward, with Reynolds likely (though not confirmed at this time) to star and Tim Miller set to direct the script written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The film will be released on February 12, 2016.

Despite his immense popularity among comic fans, Deadpool has proven a tricky character to get right on screen. Reynold's first go at the character, in the disastrous 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine,' was seen as a bright spot in a terrible film (although the screenplay went out of its way to damage the character). A spinoff has been in development since then, but the cartoonish, motor-mouthed mutant mercenary has frequently stalled. In all honesty, the project may have sat on a shelf forever if that footage hadn't been leaked. It's a weird feeling: we're going to get to see Wade Wilson crack wise and break the fourth wall in theaters.

But fans who are hoping the character's incredibly gory lifestyle will make it to screen intact need to check their expectations. The Schmoes Know podcast report the obvious: this is going to be a PG-13 endeavor:

 I heard from the director that they finally figured out the script, and it was right before this was announced … that they figured out, and you guys are all going to hate this, they figured out how to make it PG-13, and therefore “not lose its soul” — that’s a quote – of the script so that they can make it.

However, writer Rhett Reese fired back on Twitter, saying:

'Batman vs Superman' Set Videos and Aquaman in 'Man of Steel'

There comes a time when you can officially grow tired of staring at new Batmobile images. Take this one:

Yeah, we've seen that before. Like any kind of junkie, we need to move onto harder stuff if we're going to get our fix. And you know what that means: footage of Batman's new ride as it careens around the Detroit set, looking very cool and exciting:

That's the good stuff right there.

Aside from Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, we also know that 'Batman vs. Superman' will feature an appearance by Aquaman, as portrayed by Jason Momoa. However, it looks like his character already played a part in 'Man of Steel' -- we just didn't realize it. Remember that one scene in which Clark is floating underwater in the ocean and two whales swim up above him? Well, according to Jeff Sneider from The Wrap, those animals were sent by Aquaman to help Superman in his time of need. Sure, it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Aquaman Man of Steel
Warner Bros.
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Marvel: 'Doctor Strange' Updates and 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Tidbits

'Guardians of the Galaxy' hit $313 million at the box office this past weekend, officially surpassing the gross of 'Iron Man 2.' That's nuts. What's more nuts is that it's still trucking forward pretty steadily. We have no idea where or when it's going to stop.

Director James Gunn posted a fun little photo on his Instagram and included a story that provides some context, while hinting at a deleted scene that's going to end up on the future Blu-ray and DVD. Take a look:

Here's me and the actor Spencer Wilding who played the Mean Guard who jabs Quill in the prison with the electrical staff and gets his comeuppance to Escape (the Piña Colada Song). He also has a little container of Play-Doh. Why Play-Doh? Because I would keep a pile of little Play-Doh containers onset and if someone did an especially amazing job that day - whether it was an actor, a grip, a stunt man, or a PA - they'd get a canister of Play-Doh. I probably only gave about 40 containers out over the entire shoot - on an 85 day schedule with a crew of a couple hundred, that isn't much. I chose Play-Doh because I love the smell of it - opening a new container and smelling it puts me in a creative, child-like place. And who doesn't love playing with Play-Doh (I swear Play-Doh isn't paying for this post)? Anway, Spencer got the Play-Doh for a scene where he danced through the prison listening to Quill's Walkman (specifically, Magic by Pilot). We cut the scene for many reasons, but it was awesome and hilarious and Spence more than deserved his rarely-given Play-Doh (and, yes, before you ask me a thousand times below, it WILL be on the Blu-Ray outtakes, and no I will not tell you the release date - you can go see the movie again!

Meanwhile, the Marvel machine continued looking to the future. According to (unconfirmed but totally substantial) rumors, 'Doctor Strange' is looking to begin filming early next year for a July 8, 2016 release date. The only thing they need now is their Dr. Stephen Strange. Joaquin, where are you?

Marvel on TV

We stil know very little about Marvel's upcoming 'Daredevil' Netflix series, but we do know that interesting actors keep on getting added to the ensemble. That latest name thrown into the mix is Scott Glenn, who will play Stick, the man who trained Matt Murdock how to fight in the first place after his father died. Here's the official statement:

Stick is one of the most important figures in Matt Murdock’s life and Scott Glenn embodies all the qualities of someone so integral to this hero’s journey. There are few actors who could bring such the authenticity, gravitas and charisma to such a key role in Matt’s journey to become the super hero we call Daredevil.

Over on traditional television, ABC's 'Agent Carter' cast a role that should delight hardcore Marvel fans everywhere. Although Tony Stark's butler, Jarvis, was reimagined as an advanced artificial intelligence in the Iron Man films, James D'Arcy has been cast as the original Jarvis, who will be Howard Stark's flesh-and-blood right-hand man on the show. Now that's how you have your cake and eat it, too. In addition, the series also cast 'Boardwalk Empire' star Shea Whigham as the show's male lead, Strategic Scientific Reserve Chief Roger Dooley, who oversees Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter.

And while we're stopping by ABC, how about checking out this nifty new 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' poster? We have our fingers crossed for the new season.

ABC
ABC
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DC on TV

'Gotham' may have already premiered to mixed reviews (you can read a few of our writers' thoughts here and here), but that won't stop you from checking out clips from the series, right? After all, you've got to test those waters before you fully dive in.

And while we're watching 'Gotham' videos, the final (Maybe! Possibly!) character promo video has arrived, giving us a glimpse at Barbara, the woman who will one day marry James Gordon.

While FOX works on a Batman TV show that doesn't feature Batman, that rumored 'Supergirl' show has officially been given the go-ahead over at CBS. We still don't know how or if the show will tie into the other DC comic book shows across the various networks, but executive producer Greg Berlanti must be feeling phenomenal -- this will be the third DC superhero show under his belt.

Speaking of which, 'Arrow' has cast 'Spartacus' actor Nick Tarabay as Captain Boomerang. Although the character is silly even by C-list villain standards, Tarabay has proven himself quite good at playing easy-to-hate baddies in the past. Expect him to offer this character some great menace.

Would you look at this? Another Berlanti production has revealed two new TV spots. All hail Berlanti, king of this segment on this superhero movie and TV news column!

We'll also wrap up with Berlanti, who probably had these posters come across his desk, where he said, "Yeah, sure, release those posters to the internet."

The CW
The CW
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The CW
The CW
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