Mel Gibson On The Shortlist To Direct ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel

It might sound surprising to hear that Mel Gibson is in the running to direct the sequel to Suicide Squad. It turns out that the formerly exiled actor/director is making his way back into Hollywood’s graces and onto the short list of possible directors for the next installment of the highly anticipated yet underwhelming DC Comics film.

Mel Gibson’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice critique may have actually earned him a nod to direct the next installment of the antihero movie. At the Venice Film Festival last year, the Washington Post reports that Gibson ripped the superhero movie and Warner Brothers, calling the film “a piece of s**t.” Gibson doubled down on his comments by adding the following.

“Real superheroes didn’t wear Spandex.”

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice didn’t do well at the box office and was not considered one of the strongest films to come from the Warner Brothers/DC Comics universe. There are even rumors that after the lukewarm response, even Ben Affleck wants out of his contract and may not be making the next planned Batman movie.

As far as the first Suicide Squad movie goes, anticipation for the film was huge. Many comic book fans expected Suicide Squad to be the biggest superhero movie in a long time, especially based on the impressive list of A-listers who signed on including Will Smith and Jared Leto. Unfortunately, the movie did not live up to the hype and the fact that Warner Brothers is even considering a sequel is nothing short of a miracle. Then again, even with all the bad press, Suicide Squad grossed $745 million worldwide. Even if the budget ate up nearly a third of that, it can still be considered a success at the box office.

At this point, there is no actual commitment for a Suicide Squad sequel but if money can be made on one, certainly Warner Brothers is considering it. Especially if they are able to place a director for the film that will be frugal with the budget and still produce a monster hit. Based on Mel Gibson’s previous work on movies like Passion of the Christ and Braveheart, putting him in charge of an action film of any sort is probably a great call.

Warner Bros. courts Mel Gibson to direct #SuicideSquad sequel https://t.co/GNEDZv8z48 pic.twitter.com/1wVuqavVkI

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 15, 2017

When ranting about his disappointment with Batman v. Superman, Mel Gibson’s main point was about the huge amount of money it takes to make films of that nature. Gibson questioned why it would take upwards of $250 million just to produce the film and said that he thinks that a better movie can be made for less in an interview with Deadline.

“I’m really baffled by it. I think there’s a lot of waste. … It seems to me that you could do it for less. Wow, I mean if you’re spending outrageous amounts of money, $180 million or more, I don’t know how you make it back after the tax man gets you, and after you give half to the exhibitors.”

It’s unclear whether Mel Gibson meant to or not, but by criticizing the latest superhero movie flop, he ended up putting himself in the running to direct the next one and hopefully make it a raging success. Considering Gibson’s reputation after becoming a Hollywood exile after a shocking, drunken anti-semitic rant nearly a decade ago, it seems impossible that the Oscar winner would be welcome back. However, it seems that time heals just about anything and Gibson has found himself an Oscar contender yet again with six nominations for his new film Hacksaw Ridge.

Mel Gibson partnering with DC like: pic.twitter.com/fZHsgq9YAN

— GOAT Movie Podcast (@GOATfilmpodcast) February 16, 2017

Also in the running to possibly direct the Suicide Squad sequel are Ruben Fleischer, Daniel Espinosa, and Jonathan Levine. Of course, the studio could also opt to use David Ayer again.

Do you think Warner Brothers should ask Mel Gibson to direct the Suicide Squad sequel or should the Oscar winner continue to be shunned by Hollywood for his bad behavior almost 10 years ago? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by Warner Brothers]