Despite being panned by critics, Suicide Squad bagged $745 million at the worldwide box-office, becoming one of 2016’s top ten highest-grossing movies. There was no way Warner Bros. could not plan a sequel, but they have decided not to bring director David Ayer back. Instead, Ayer will direct Gotham City Sirens, another DC Extended Universe movie, and the studio will begin to look for a director for Suicide Squad 2.
Last month, we discovered that the studio had shortlisted Mel Gibson, Ruben Fleischer, Jonathan Levine, and Daniel Espinosa as potential candidates for the director's chair. Gibson even confirmed that discussions had taken place, but he insisted that they weren't close to sealing a deal.
In a recent interview with Meet The Movie Press, Tracking Board editor in chief Jeff Sneider said that Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra had been added to that shortlist:
So the name that I have heard, who could very well be in the mix: Jaume Collet-Serra. He's a home-grown filmmaker for Warner Bros.; that's where he did House of Wax, Orphan, Unknown, [and] Run All Night.
Collet-Serra directed last year's horror-thriller The Shallows, with Blake Lively in the lead role. The movie garnered positive reviews from critics, and managed to gross over $119 million against a budget of only $17 million. He also helmed House of Wax, Orphan, Unknown, Non-Stop, and Run All Night.
According to a recent report, the studio’s first priority is to get a script for Suicide Squad 2. Once that’s accomplished, they’ll begin a serious search for a director. But it must also be noted that the project is one of five that the studio is considering for getting filming started in 2017. We’ll keep an eye out for updates throughout the next couple of months.
