‘Suicide Squad’ Director Weighs In On James Gunn Developing Sequel

Some fans may take issue with a second Suicide Squad movie that has little in common with the first but its premise — but not Suicide Squad director David Ayer, who praised incoming writer James Gunn.

Ayer was originally set to direct Gotham City Sirens, which seems to have gone by the wayside, and to chip in on Suicide Squad 2, which was greenlit almost immediately after the first movie overperformed box office expectations despite poor reviews. It seems he is among those who have been sidelined as part of Warner Bros.’ reshufflings of the DC movie universe, but if that is the case, he is still on board for Gunn’s take.

“I think it’s an incredibly brave and smart move by the studio,” Ayer told a fan who asked whether he was upset by Warner’s decision to essentially scrap much of what Ayer established in the first movie to give Gunn more creative freedom. “James is the right man for the job!”

Ayer is likely preoccupied working on Bright 2, which follows up the Netflix feature film starring Suicide Squad veteran Will Smith.

Filmmaker Gavin O’Connor had been tapped to direct Suicide Squad 2, but according to Variety‘s Justin Kroll, pitched a script similar to the upcoming Birds of Prey movie, which got greenlit before Suicide Squad 2 could. O’Connor stepped away to take on his next project, Has Been. He will presumably still work with Warner Bros. on the sequel to Ben Affleck’s The Accountant if that gets off the ground.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn has closed a deal to script a Suicide Squad sequel, but talks to have him direct are ongoing for now. The site also says this supposed non-sequel will star familiar characters like Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Killer Croc, Captain Boomerang, and the Joker. Still, there is no word on whether recasting is needed for Gunn’s take on the DCEU franchise.

If Gunn does sign on to direct Suicide Squad 2, it’ll show fans the director is moving on from his buzzed-about exit from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The director was fired by Disney after controversial tweets from Gunn surfaced from years past. The sudden decision prompted outrage from fans and MCU cast members who asked for Disney to reconsider, but recent reports only doubled down on Disney’s decision to axe Gunn.

Upcoming DC Extended Universe films include Aquaman on December 21st, Shazam on April 5, 2019, Wonder Woman 1984 on November 1, 2019, and Birds of Prey on February 7, 2020.