Director Gavin O’Connor is confirmed to write and is in talks to direct “Suicide Squad 2” for Warner Bros., taking over for David Ayer. Variety reported the news Wednesday afternoon after weeks of speculation about who would take on the sequel, not to mention reports that competing Joker projects are forthcoming from the studio.
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“Suicide Squad” became a high-priority title for Warners in the wake of its 2016 success, earning more than $745 million worldwide even after scathing reviews. O’Connor reportedly beat out candidates including Jaume Collet-Serra and Mel Gibson for the job, although his success helming “The Accountant” for Warners mainstay Ben Affleck made him an obvious choice.
Warner Bros. honestly needs for this project to come together easily, given not just the problems the studio has had in satisfying fans but in mixing its messages about the DC Universe, which was once conceived as dark and humorless, but shifted abruptly after positive responses to the punky, exuberant “Suicide Squad” marketing. (It’s rumored that Warners handed off the film to that same marketing team to recut the film to make it more “fun,” in the process alienating Ayer from wanting to return for a sequel.)
O’Connor, who has on multiple occasions stepped in for an ousted director (replacing Lynne Ramsay on “Jane Got A Gun,” and Matt Damon on the upcoming “Father Daughter Time“), is a safe but effective choice as a replacement for Ayer, offering polish, professionalism and a versatile body of work to draw from for his follow-up to the iconoclastic blockbuster. But even with production slated to start as late as next fall — in order to accommodate its stars’ busy schedules — O’Connor has his work cut out for him to make a 2019 release date. [Variety]
