James Gunn, director of 2021’s The Suicide Squad, has said he has had discussions about a sequel to the DC movie, but is focusing on other projects first.
The Suicide Squad was a part-sequel, part-reboot to 2016’s Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer. The first film was not held in high regard by DC fans. While James Gunn’s film kept some of the same characters, played by the same actors, and took place within the same DCEU continuity, it was a wild departure from the tonality of the fist film. Even returning characters like Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag were drastically reimagined. The result was a much stronger DCEU entry, brought to life in Gunn’s signature mix of twisted comedy and riotous action.
James Gunn’s Future With DC
The Suicide Squad succeeded spectacularly where the 2016 film failed, proving a huge hit with audiences. The film even spawned a beloved HBO Max spinoff series, Peacemaker, also helmed by James Gunn and focusing on John Cena’s character from the movie. Given the film’s success, fans are wondering when they might get to see a sequel. Unfortunately, Gunn might have some bad news.
In a recent interview with The Playlist, James Gunn was asked about the chances of a sequel to The Suicide Squad and the director revealed that while discussions have happened, it’s not likely to be something he will work on soon, citing a lack of time to focus on that amongst other projects. Instead, Gunn confirmed he is continuing to focus on his TV work for the time being and is not yet sure whether his next film will be another DC entry.
Expanding on what his next film project might be, Gunn seemed to suggest it was unlikely to be a direct sequel to The Suicide Squad, even if it is a DC movie:
“I’m thinking about what that next movie will be. And is that next movie going to be— if first of all, it could be something completely different than [the world of DC]. And I’m excited about Mike De Luca coming in to [Warner Bros.], frankly, because I’ve known him for a long time and I love Toby [Emmerich], but I’ve also known De Luca he’s been a friend of mine for many, many years…
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do next because it could be a movie outside of [DC], but it could be a DC movie that has to do with these characters. Does that mean it’s the Suicide Squad movie or something else that’s within that world or a little bit different than that? And that I’m not exactly sure.”
It sounds like The Suicide Squad 2 could be a while away yet, but James Gunn’s involvement with DC and Warner Bros. is very much ongoing. Fans of the director can certainly look forward to more of his work in that universe in the not-too-distant future, even if it’s not on the big screen. Gunn has also recently wrapped shooting on his latest projects for Marvel Studios, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special for Disney Plus and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is written and directed by James Gunn and in addition to Maria Bakalova, stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, Will Poulter and Chukwudi Iwuji.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023. Stay tuned for all the latest news on James Gunn’s upcoming films and TV shows, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: The Playlist
