Had certain plans worked out for Warner Bros., Suicide Squad 2 would have completed most of its filming by now and would be on track for release later this year or early next year. But perhaps, the studio is glad that those plans didn't work out. Even though the project is hitting the theaters a little late, it's now in safer hands than before.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has staked out release dates for a bunch of its upcoming tentpoles, including the second outing of the Task Force X. The sequel will open on August 6, 2021. The original movie, which managed to rake in over $746 million at the global box office despite being brutally slammed by critics, was also released in the first week of August in 2016.
The sequel has also landed a new title. It is now being called The Suicide Squad. And guess who's going to sit on the director's chair: none other than James Gunn.
Soon after the sequel was announced, it was made clear that David Ayer wouldn't return at the helm. Later, Warner Bros. brought in Gavin O'Connor to co-write and direct, but for some unknown reason, The Accountant director too left. That was when the studio decided to get the script rewritten by Gunn, who had just been fired by Disney from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 over the resurfacing of decade-old tweets where he joked about subjects like rape and pedophilia.
At that time, Gunn had not committed to direct Suicide Squad 2. But THR is reporting that negotiations are now underway between the filmmaker and the studio for the directorial gig as well.
The trade suggests that the project is being labeled as a relaunch instead of a direct sequel, and is very much rooted in Gunn's vibe, as seen in the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies. The director's focus, according to insiders, is to take the franchise in a new direction with a mostly all-new cast of characters and actors. So, there's a big question mark over the return of original cast members like Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Jai Courtney and Joel Kinnaman.
Another interesting piece of news is that Zack Snyder and his wife/producing partner Deborah Snyder are listed as executive producers, while Charles Roven and Peter Safran are set to produce the movie.
