James Gunn in Talks to Direct 'Suicide Squad' Sequel (Exclusive)
James Gunn is returning to the director’s chair.
Gunn, who was
fired from directing the third installment in his Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, is in negotiations to helm the second Suicide Squad film, the sequel to the Warner Bros. 2016 hit that featured DC Comics anti-heroes as the leads.
The move is not entirely unexpected as Gunn was already
writing the script for the sequel, which Warner Bros. just
slotted for a Aug. 2021 release.
The dealmaking does, however, solidify that the new Suicide Squad film will be his next directorial effort. Disney fired Gunn from his Marvel franchise in July after old tweets from 2008 and 2009 resurfaced in which he made insensitive and controversial jokes.
The sequel has the title of The Suicide Squad and is not being labeled a direct sequel but as a relaunch. The 2016 movie featured characters Deadshot, Harley Quinn, the Joker, Captain Boomerang and Killer Croc, who are forced into the service of the government in exchange for lighter sentences.
Sources say that Gunn’s focus is to take the franchise in a new direction with mostly an all-new cast of characters and actors. Sources also say that the project is also very much rooted in Gunn’s vibe, as seen in the Guardians movies.
Charles Roven and Peter Safran will produce the feature. Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder are acting as executive producers.
Gunn is repped by UTA, the Safran Company and Frankfurt Kurnit.