Over the years, the importance of music in film has grown tremendously. While at one point cinematic soundtracks consisted primarily of orchestral music to build atmosphere, it's become increasingly common for films to feature original tracks by major artists, often turning into pop hits in their own rights.
In 2016, David Ayer's Suicide Squad released a soundtrack that included a multitude of major artists, many of which went on to be incredibly successful in the charts. Meanwhile, Marvel achieved something similar in 2018 as Black Panther featured an original soundtrack by hip-hop legend Kendrick Lamar.
James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has garnered great acclaim over the years for its unique '80s themed score.
With the director now joining the DC universe through The Suicide Squad, it seems Gunn will be bringing his musical mastery with him as the film has just debuted its first original song.
THE SUICIDE SQUAD RELEASES ORIGINAL POP CLASSIC
As The Suicide Squad prepares to officially debut its final trailer before the August release, a new original song has been released from the film called “Rain” by Grandson and Jessie Reyez.
Director James Gunn previously stated that his debut DC blockbuster will include a song by “two of [his] favorite new artists,” going on to say that he feels he is “standing so close to a pop classic that it’s burning [his] brain:”
“So one of my favorite current musical artists wrote & recorded a song for The Suicide Squad & I feel like I’m standing so close to a pop classic that it’s burning my brain. I have been singing it non-stop for a week. Can’t wait to share… soon. In all honesty it actually features TWO of my favorite new artists who I’ve professed love for in the past.”
Gunn also interacted with Grandson numerous times on Twitter and even included his 2019 song “Oh No!!!” in the Roll Call teaser for the film last year, making it clear he is a big fan of the artist.
Given the name of the song, “Rain,” this catchy tune is likely to play during a sequence of the film that will see the whole squad caught in a dramatic downpour, shown off recently by Entertainment Weekly
THE NEXT BIG POP HIT FROM DC?
James Gunn has historically been a master of cinematic soundtracks with his Guardians of the Galaxy franchise being renowned for its Awesome Mix Tapes of iconic '80s hits. As the director prepares to make his DC debut, it seems he will continue the theme Suicide Squad director David Ayer started in 2016 with a selection of songs from major artists, some of which turned into pop hits.
With this appearing to be the film's original song that James Gunn teased several months ago, it's unclear if the highly-anticipated blockbuster will include any more tracks from other major artists.
Grandson recently went viral on TikTok with his song “Blood // Water” accruing great popularity on the platform. Meanwhile, collaborator Jessie Reyez previously appeared on the viral track “Promises” alongside pop legends Calvin Harris and Sam Smith.
The Suicide Squad will hit theaters and stream on HBO Max on August 6, 2021.
