James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad Soundtrack Almost Included Johnny Cash And Queen

Director James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad releases in just a few weeks, and if you were expecting his feature film debut in the DC Universe to have a soundtrack comprised of hard rock and chart-topping classic singles then you’re in luck. Sort of.

As part of an Empire feature, Gunn assembled a collection of songs that didn’t make the final cut for the film, which you can listen to below.

Songs like “Resistre” by Resistre Mexico and “Sometimes” by Kero Kero Bonito–remember Bugsnax?–were ultimately dropped for alternative tracks, but Guy Ritchie’s Wrath Of Man was partly to blame for Johnny Cash’s “Rusty Cage” being left on the cutting room floor.

“When we were almost done with the movie we heard that Guy Ritchie’s Wrath Of Man, which was coming out a couple of months before us, was using “Folsom Prison Blues”. So we almost used this–then I decided I just like ‘FPB’ better for the scene; I’ll let the chips fall where they may,” Gunn said.

Other songs that almost made it into the film include “Draw the Line” by Aerosmith and “Death on Two Legs” by Queen, the latter of which was briefly considered for a big Harley Quinn action sequence in the scripting stage.

In case you missed it, the most recent trailer for The Suicide Squad is packed with all kinds of new and wild footage ahead of the film’s release on August 6 theatrically and on HBO Max. Alongside returning cast members such as Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, The Suicide Squad also stars Idris Elba as Bloodsport, John Cena as Peacemaker, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Alice Braga as Sol Soria, Sean Gunn as Weasel, Michael Rooker as Savant, and Peter Capaldi as Thinker.

A spin-off show focusing on Peacemaker is already in development and will premiere in January 2022, while Gunn returns to the Marvel Universe for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and a Guardians Holiday Special.