Meet the villains who are the heroes of DC's 'Suicide Squad'

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — Warner Bros. Films has unveiled character posters for the stars of its upcoming "Suicide Squad" film.

Inspired by the DC Comics series, "Suicide Squad" features a team of imprisoned supervillains sent to perform dangerous--and presumably suicidal--missions for the U.S. government.

The film, scheduled for release August 5, stars Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Viola Davis, and many, many others. It was written and directed by David Ayer.

Davis, who plays intelligence officer Amanda Waller in the film, recently told E! that Leto sent her a box of bullets during filming. Leto's performance as the Joker has generated buzz around the project, and he is reported to have immersed himself in the maniacal character so much that he gave his co-stars bizarre gifts like a live rat, a dead hog, and sex toys.

"It was a little worrisome," Davis said. "It made you a little bit nervous and I'm pretty tough. You know, I got into a few fights when I was growing up... but it scared me a little bit."

As part of the promotion effort for the film, DC and Warner Bros. have launched a cosplay contest for fans to send in their best photos of themselves dressed as Suicide Squad members.