‘Suicide Squad' set photo teases ‘Batman: Assault on Arkham’ plot

IN PHOTO: Director David Ayer poses before a gala screening of his film "Fury" in London October 19, 2014. Reuters

It’s long been rumoured that “Suicide Squad” will take some inspiration from the 2014 animation “Batman: Assault on Arkham” for its plot. This report has yet to be confirmed. But movie director David Ayer recently shared a set photo on his Twitter page, which teases the possibility of this storyline happening in the film.

The photo shows a helicopter being suspended on the ground by a mechanical contraption rooted to the floor. The military chopper is equipped with guns and missile launchers on its side. Some of the production crew could be seen on the landing, while a cameraman is standing at eye level with the helicopter. A green cloth also surrounds the walls of the room.

Ayer shared the set photo on his Twitter account on Thursday, July 30, and it has since received over one thousand likes and 662 retweets, as of this writing. The director didn’t caption the image but few commentators noticed how the presence of the helicopter could be linked to Deadshot and The Joker’s famous fight scene in “Batman: Assault on Arkham.”

In “Batman: Assault on Arkham,” the head of the Suicide Squad Amanda Waller sends out Harley Quinn and The Joker on a mission to locate the atmosphere generator inside the Chimtech building owned by Maxwell Lord. Harley Quinn and The Joker, accompanied by some soldiers, head out to Chimtech aboard an escape helicopter, according to Movie Pilot. While on the way, Joker tried to take out the soldiers but Deadshot was apparently on the same helicopter ride. An altercation happened in which Deadshot was able to stop DC’s Clown Prince of Crime from doing any more harm. Twitter user Johnny Sobczak adds the photo teases the finale in “Batman: Assault on Arkham” where Batman, The Joker, Harley Quinn and Deadshot are seen fighting inside the helicopter before it crashes.

Despite the teaser photo and plot theories, it is still unclear whether or not Ayer was really hinting at this possible scene from “Batman: Assault on Arkham” happening in “Suicide Squad.” The movie director has been tight-lipped on production details, only sharing a few set photos from time to time on his Twitter page. Ayer even expressed his disappointment over the “Suicide Squad” teaser revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con having been leaked online.

Shame our sneak peek Hall H footage was leaked. #notcool it's unfair to the fans who waited in line. And not how I intended folks to see it.
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) July 13, 2015