James Gunn enters talks to write and direct Suicide Squad 2
He was previously fired by Disney from 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'
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Your support makes all the difference.James Gunn has reportedly entered talks to write and direct the upcoming sequel to Suicide Squad.
Gunn was previously attached to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but was removed from the project after offensive tweets from several years ago resurfaced online.
The move has been widely discussed among comic book fans online as Gunn has moved from a Marvel property to a DC one, two publishers who have been been long-running rivals.
According to The Wrap, Gunn’s take on Suicide Squad would be completely fresh – whether Margot Robbie, Will Smith and Jared Leto would return as their characters from the first instalment remains unclear.
Suicide Squad made almost $750 million worldwide but failed to land with critics, achieving a score of just 28 per cent on aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score on the same website is just 60 per cent.
The film was widely seen as an attempt by Warner Bros – the studio behind the DC live-action franchise – to recreate the same fun and musical atmosphere that brought Guardians of the Galaxy to huge success at the box office. Gunn had written and directed both previous Guardians instalments.
Gavin O’Connor, of The Accountant and Jane Got A Gun fame, was previously attached to the Suicide Squad sequel, but reportedly left the project after his script was found to be too similar to the one for Birds of Prey – the upcoming Robbie-fronted female-focussed film that the studio are hoping to produce as soon as possible.
David Ayer, who directed the first Suicide Squad, praised the decision to hire Gunn, writing on Twitter: “I think it’s an incredibly brave and smart move by the studio. James is the right man for the job!”
Dave Bautista, an advocate of Gunn’s who plays Drax in the Guardians series, also praised the decision and asked: “Where do I sign up!”
There has been no official confirmation from Warner Bros on the hire, although multiple Hollywood trade outlets have claimed sources have confirmed Gunn’s entered discussions for the job.
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