When James Gunn was let go by Disney, there was no one expecting him to stay unemployed for very long. Well, the time has already passed as Warner Bros. and DC have made their move to help catch up with Marvel Studios by hiring Gunn to write and possibly direct a sequel to Suicide Squad. All of this comes after Disney released Gunn for some controversial old tweets that had resurfaced and brought into the spotlight.
Deadline is reporting that Gunn has indeed been confirmed as the writer of the script for Suicide Squad 2. Gavin O’Connor had been attached to direct the movie but he’s since moved on to direct Torrance which will star Ben Affleck and is also under the Warner Bros. banner.
Earlier this year, Disney released Gunn after the tweets from almost a decade ago had come back up. It was quite surprising that he was let go or at least not brought back, after his two Guardians of the Galaxy movies brought in more than $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office.
The tweets were no secret as they had already been something brought into the picture many years ago and Gunn had already apologized for them. After they came back around again, Disney parted ways with the successful director and writer which led to Warner Bros. swooping in.
EXCLUSIVE: James Gunn has been hired by Warner Bros and DC to write and possibly direct #SuicideSquad2 https://t.co/WQt3qcpCp4
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) October 9, 2018
The first Suicide Squad hit theaters in August of 2016 and it was quite successful despite receiving a good bit of criticism. Once all was said and done, it brought in more than $746 million at the worldwide box office and easily merited a sequel in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
The report from Deadline states that Gunn is going to bring an entirely new take to Suicide Squad which has already brought forth a spin-off in Birds of Prey. David Ayer wrote the script and directed the first film and Warner Bros. was thrilled with the money it brought in.
The DCEU has been constantly behind Marvel Studios in theatrical releases and they are hoping that the second Wonder Woman installment and Aquaman will do well. There have been some obvious issues with the lower numbers for Justice League, but Warner Bros. hopes it’s just a hiccup.
Dave Bautista, who played Drax in Gunn’s Marvel films, has already expressed his interest in working with the director again.
Where do I sign up! James Gunn Boards ‘Suicide Squad 2’ To Write And Possibly Direct – Deadline https://t.co/OwdDbAm1Ks
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) October 9, 2018
As of this time, there is no word on when production will start for the Suicide Squad sequel or even who will be in it. Margot Robbie is expected to return as Harley Quinn and it’s likely that Warner Bros. and DC will look to get as many others as possible to return. With James Gunn on board as the writer and possible director, it likely won’t be that hard to find a worthy cast to compete with Marvel and Disney.