‘The Suicide Squad’ To Head For Corto Maltese In Upcoming Film
by Erik Amaya
The Suicide Squad mission will see the team headed to the infamous island.
On Wednesday, Warner Bros. Pictures released a synopsis of the upcoming film, which will see the reformed Task Force X headed to the “remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.” Of course, it is still unclear why they are going to the island nation first name-checked in Frank Miller‘s The Dark Knight Returns, but it is interesting to see it used a primary location in an DC Film.
The name is, of course, a tip of the hat to Hugo Pratt and his seafaring adventure, Corto Maltese, who stared in a long-running adventure series collected over the last few years in the US by IDW. The books themselves are gorgeous, often funny, and tinged with just a little bit of mystery. They’re definitely worth seeking out to learn why Miller wanted the name as part of his DC universe.
Corto Maltese has also been referenced elsewhere in the DC Multiverse. It was one of Vicki Vale’s (Kim Bassinger) recent assignments before coming to Gotham in Batman. The Arrowverse regularly makes use of the name as well, but no feature film has ever ventured to the island. And considering the name is owned by a company other than WarnerMedia, we have to wonder if they payed a license fee so writer/director James Gunn could take his Task Force there.
Here’s the full text of the synopsis (via Slashfilm):
Welcome to hell — a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out — even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave … and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them—all of them.
The cast includes returning players Viola Davis, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney and Joel Kinnaman. They will be joined by David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Steve Agee, Flula Borg, Idris Elba, Peter Capaldi, Pete Davidson, Alice Braga, John Cena and more
The Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max on August 6th, 2021.