It has been previously confirmed James Gunn will be the writer of Suicide Squad sequel movie, which Warner Bros. will reportedly release on August 2021. Now, Gunn might probably be directing the upcoming film as well.
Gun, who was fired from directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, is now in talks to direct the second Suicide Squad film, which is the follow-up movie to the Warner Bros. 2016 hit movie featuring DC Comics anti-heroes as the lead characters. However, the movie, titled The Suicide Squad, will not be labeled a direct sequel but a relaunch, thus, it will be a non-sequel sequel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The original movie in 2016 featured the characters of Harley Quinn, Deadshot, the Joker, Killer Croc, and Captain Boomerang. They were forced to do a service for the government, and in return, they'll receive lighter prison sentences.
According to sources, Gunn is focusing on taking the franchise into a new direction with mostly new characters, as well as actors. The first Suicide Squad movie was directed by David Ayer, while filmmaker Gavin O'Connor was tapped to direct the Suicide Squad 2.
However, he pitched a script similar to the upcoming Harley Quinn's film Birds of Prey which already got the permission before Suicide Squad 2 could. So, O'Connor stepped back and moved on to his next project, Has Been. Reports say he will also work on the sequel to Ben Affleck's The Accountant.
In July 2018, Disney fired Gun from Marvel franchise after old tweets from 2008 and 2009 resurfaced on the internet wherein he made sensitive and controversial jokes about right-wing U.S. politicians. The decision prompted outrage from fans, as well as MCU cast members who asked Disney to reconsider.
But then, Warner Bros. picked him up to write The Suicide Squad three months later. At that time, rumors already emerged he might be directing the film as well, though there are no talks about it then. Sources also said the project is very much rooted in Gunn's vibe, which was already seen on the Guardians movies.
Warner Bros. announced the film, which will be a refresh of the Suicide Squad brand after the first one became a hit but failed to connect with critics, will reportedly be in theaters on August 2021. The movie relaunch will still feature the familiar characters in the first movie, but with new faces. Peter Safran and Charles Roven will produce the film, while Deborah Snyder and Zack Snyder are acting as executive producers.
