It’s been a wild week at Warner Bros. and DC Films. In the past few days we’ve learned there’s Joker spinoff movie in the works, slated to be directed by Todd Phillips, and possibly executive produced by Martin Scorsese, that will be part of a new strand of non-continuity DC pictures. Speaking of which, Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman” may be part of those offshoots, even as Ben Affleck‘s starring role remains in question. Meanwhile, WB/DC are gearing up the reshot “Justice League” for cinemas this fall, and part of those changes include axing Jesse Eisenberg from the movie. So much is going on that you may have forgotten “Suicide Squad 2” is still happening.
Last night, it was revealed that a Joker and Harley Quinn movie was on the way from writing/directing team Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“Crazy Stupid Love,” “Focus” and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”), with Jared Leto and Margot Robbie reprising their roles. What that means for the once rumored Harley Quinn spin-off (maybe this is it, but they just added the Joker) or the mooted “Gotham City Sirens” remains to be seen. However, according to THR, this movie will follow “Suicide Squad 2,” which is apparently on the fast track, with directors being sought for the gig.
The news isn’t entirely surprising. WB/DC announced “Suicide Squad 2” at Comic Con, and a number of directors have already been linked as possible helmers, including most recently Jaume Collet-Serra (“Non-Stop,” “Run All Night,” “The Shallows”) who ultimately exited the project to make “Jungle Cruise” starring Dwayne Johnson instead. At any rate, get ready for another batch of shortlisted names, because it seems WB/DC are eager to get this one rolling, and then pivot to another movie featuring the two characters audiences care most about (sorry, Killer Croc fans). But given how fast WB/DC are changing their minds and announcing new movies, by next week their attention could be turned to something else.