Update: James Gunn is in talks to direct Suicide Squad 2.
It was first revealed last year that the Guardians of the Galaxy director had left the MCU behind to write the Worlds of DC follow-up, but it now looks like he could be behind the camera too.
The film currently has the title The Suicide Squad, and is being touted as a relaunch rather than a direct sequel with "a mostly all-new cast of characters and actors", according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Suicide Squad is scheduled for release on August 6, 2021.
Gunn's involvement with the project was first announced on the official DC Daily web series in October.
"It's official that we have got a new member of the DC family," host Tiffany Smith said. "Acclaimed writer/director James Gunn has been attached to write Suicide Squad 2. Gunn is poised to bring a completely fresh take to the franchise after the first film was written and directed by David Ayer."
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That "completely fresh take" always indicated a cast overhaul. Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista has already volunteered to make the jump to the Worlds of DC with Gunn.
Original: James Gunn is getting the ultimate revenge over his controversial firing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe by jumping to its rival, the Worlds of DC.
The filmmaker is in talks to write and potentially direct a "completely new take" on Suicide Squad 2, according to The Wrap. It'd be an intriguing move, since the Squad are very much an outlaw team like Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy were for Marvel.
Guardians of the Galaxy star and vocal Gunn supporter Dave Bautista already seems keen to follow the director, tweeting: "Where do I sign up?"
Gunn's hiring suggests that DC is scrapping a previous Suicide Squad 2 script from co-writers Gavin O'Connor and Todd Stashwick, the latter of whom said just last month that he'd just finished a draft of an "exciting story, deepening these characters" from the first film.
It remains to be seen whether Gunn's Suicide Squad 2 would bring back Harley Quinn or Deadshot, since Warner Bros is currently working on spin-offs with both Margot Robbie and Will Smith.
Suicide Squad 2 was originally expected to be released in 2019, but it's looking increasingly unlikely that it will be able to hit cinemas before 2020.
It has been a whirlwind few months for James Gunn, who was fired by Disney as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 during Comic-Con International in July when old jokes about rape and other controversial subjects from his Twitter resurfaced.
Gunn publicly apologised and Guardians cast members called for him to be re-hired, but Disney ultimately stuck to its guns while still conceding to use the last script he'd turned in before his sacking.
All the while, the filmmaker has also been working on a new horror movie called BrightBurn, which was recently moved from its November release date all the way to May 2019.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
