‘Doctor Strange’ Director Weighs in on James Gunn Directing ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel

James Gunn is officially in talks to direct Warner Bros. 2021 Suicide Squad movie and now Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson is weighing in.

“I’ll always be sad that James Gunn was separated from his Guardians children. But if true, I’m damn happy he’s moving on to another major franchise. Go crush it my friend,” Derrickson wrote.

Gunn, who had previously written and directed Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for Marvel, was fired over the summer after decade-old social media posts of Gunn’s resurfaced, creating quite a bit of controversy. A few months later, Warner Bros. hired him to write The Suicide Squad. At the time it was rumored that Gunn might also direct and now that appears to be the case.

And it isn’t just news that Gunn is in talks to direct that fans got about the film today. Warner Bros. announced a whole slate of release dates, including for The Suicide Squad. The film is set to debut on August 6, 2021.

The Suicide Squad has gone through quite a few evolutions since the original Suicide Squad film made its debut in 2016. Director of the first film, David Ayer, was initially expected to return for a sequel, but he left the project to focus on a Gotham City Sirens spinoff. Then, Gavin O’Connor was brought on to direct and co-write the film with Gotham‘s Todd Stashwick and production was expected to begin last fall, but that was then delayed, reportedly due to the film’s script being similar to Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). The project shifted gears again when Gunn was brought on and it seems that this is the version that will stick.

The Suicide Squad is expected to be a refresh of the Suicide Squad brand as opposed to a sequel and reportedly will feature familiar characters such as Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Killer Croc, Captain Boomerang, and the Joker, though it’s unclear if some of those roles will need to be recast.

What do you think about Gunn directing The Suicide Squad as well as Derrickson’s comments? Let us know in the comments below.