David Ayer thinks James Gunn is "the right man" for 'Suicide Squad 2'

Earlier this week it was announced that former Marvel director James Gunn is writing Suicide Squad 2, and is in talks to direct it as well. The news was met with a mixed reaction from fans, but Gunn has the approval of Suicide Squad director David Ayer.

"I think it’s an incredibly brave and smart move by the studio," Ayer said on Twitter. "James is the right man for the job!"

I think itâ€™s an incredibly brave and smart move by the studio. James is the right man for the job! https://t.co/KaVD3dQosR
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) October 9, 2018

Gunn was fired by Disney and Marvel this past summer after old tweets resurfaced of Gunn making jokes about rape and pedophilia. We had heard that despite that controversy, Warner Bros. was interested in working with him, and yesterday that was confirmed with the news of Gunn taking over Suicide Squad 2.

Dave Bautista, who has worked with Gunn on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, expressed interest in joining Suicide Squad 2 as well. It'll be interesting to see if Gunn casts some of his old Marvel friends if he ends up directing the movie.

81 comments

Jesse Hernandez

October 11, 2018

I’m curious if Gunn does direct this movie if the original Squad is coming back. Leto is doing Morbius. Robbie is about to do Birds of Prey and maybe soon The Barbie movie with Jenkins. Curious how all this plays out

BatmanNewsChris
October 11, 2018
I think Margot Robbie and Will Smith need to come back at the very least.
Despite what critics and some fans think about Suicide Squad, it was a massive hit among the mainstream. It'd be a really strange move not to bring back the biggest stars for the next one.
1. NinjaGamer13
  October 11, 2018
  Why do you say it was a massive hit with the mainstream? What data supports that?
  Audience scores on RT, IMDB etc show it to be at 60% (not that I put much weight in them) and it had a huge second week dropoff like BvS but not as bad (and I do put weight in boxoffice stuff).
  Home video sales don't support that either...it did OK with a million units, but Deadpool did about 3 times that, and Deadpool was certainly far more popular (which is sad given that it was R rated and SS was an ensemble with characters with a much bigger fan base).
  Personally? I want a reboot all the way. Not against keeping some of the cast, but would prefer it to be outside of the DCEU.
  1. Jesse Hernandez
    October 11, 2018
    Disagree... We’re talking about a movie with a budget of 175 million and grossed close to 747 million... you’re crazy if you don’t make a sequel to it. Harley Quinn was a Major hit with everyone. Stop being so damn negative and give everything a chance
    1. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      I just disagreed it was a massive hit with the mainstream. Not being negative, I thought it was better than Mos, BvS and JL.
    2. BlaqMaq
      October 11, 2018
      Your name and that statement says a lot about you...
    3. Seb is a Socialist
      October 11, 2018
      it says hes retarded
    4. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      My name is just a fact. Check Rotten Tomatoes.
    5. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      LOOOOOOOOOOL
    6. Jesse Hernandez
      October 11, 2018
      Ehhhhh... wouldn’t go as far as MoS but ok
    7. Schuyler Finley
      October 11, 2018
      "But the RT score though!"
      I didn't like the movie much either, but I roll my eyes whenever I see people say that SS2 should just completely ignore the first film. That would be so stupid.
  2. ItzSilentStorm
    October 11, 2018
    the pop culture stuff resonated with a lot of people I think. I remember a lot of my social media friends posting about how much fun the movie was. And the people in my theater seemed to really enjoy it. A lot of the humor landed and people were bouncin to the soundtrack.
  3. NinjaGamer13
    October 11, 2018
    Here you are, denying plain-as-day facts as always. Look, none of us here like SS much, but that doesn’t mean we should deny the fact that it did exceptionally well. It should not have made anywhere near the money it did or with the consistency that it had once you take all the factors into account: it came after a movie with a bad rap, BvS; was itself trashed by critics; starred just about all characters no one in the general audience had heard of, and villains no less; got NO MONEY AT ALL from China, which is normally one of the biggest sources of revenue for these movies; and was a pretty bad film that was rightly disliked by a good chunk of people. Yet it was that successful and that popular in the cultural/social sphere. And even won an Oscar! That’s a success story if I ever heard one.
    1. Jesse Hernandez
      October 11, 2018
      I forgot to let this Negative Nancy know that the album for this movie went platinum or something like that and was top of the charts for weeks
    2. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      For you to lecture anyone on denying facts is hilarious and hypocritical.
      That it had good returns relative to the budget does not translate to being a huge hit with the mainstream.
    3. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      Lol bro just lol
      I’ve finally caught on, by the way. I know at this point that you are nothing more than an elaborate troll. I just need to stop taking the bait.
    4. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      Uhuh.
      Yet you will keep replying to defend Snyder without fail, being as delusional as you always are.
    5. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      There is a difference between doingn well and being a massive hit with the mainstream.
      The only argument people here are making is profit, which ignores the epic second week dropoff and actual audience ratings, home video sales, etc.
      'massive hit with the mainstream' is a big jump from 'succusfull'.
      You may as well argue that BvS was a 'massive hit with the mainstream' using the same reasoning; oh, wait, you already do 😂
  4. Hunter Zolomon
    October 11, 2018
    The type of people who loved SS are the type of people who don't rate on things like RT and IMDB. Fact is it made a lot of money and Robbie's Harley was something everyone loved and kept taking about.
    1. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      It made money sure, but that doesn't mean it was a huge hit with the mainstream. I mean, WW was a huge hit with the mainstream. SS? Not so much.
    2. myzterius
      October 11, 2018
      Tbh SS was successful, it had decent legs, a great opening weekend and over 400m+ overseas without china, 325m domestically which is only 5m less than BvS, the soundtrack was a hit etc... I think that SS is the most successful movie in the dceu, even surpassing we by a long shot if you factor everything in.
    3. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      Sure, but 'massive hit with the mainstream' just seems like a giant exaggeration. Like...that's what Deadpool was. SS just made money (no doubt partly for the same reason BvS did, curiosity) relative to it's budget, I don't think that counts as being a massive hit...nor do things like an oscar for effects or toy sales.
    4. myzterius
      October 11, 2018
      True
    5. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      Thank you.
      That's all I was saying.
      Everyone reacted like I was saying SS was utter crap that didn't do well at all. Obviously not the case and I never said that, but it also obviously was not at all a massive hit with the mainstream.
    6. myzterius
      October 11, 2018
      Let's just say it was a hit with the mainstream, not massive though.
    7. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      I can agree with that, or at least buy the argument for it.
    8. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      I never said it wasn't successful, but there is a difference between being successful and being a massive hit with the mainstream.
      Deadpool was a massive hit with the mainstream. SS just did OK.
    9. Hunter Zolomon
      October 11, 2018
      You realize its the mainstream what bring in the money right? Us fans don't actually bring in that much.
    10. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      The problem is with the reasoning. It doesn't support the conclusion.
      Money is not the only thing that matters.
      If you're going to argue SS was a massive success with the mainstream due to revenue and not much else, then that same reasoning could be used to argue BvS was a massive hit with the mainstream, and we know that absolutely was not the case.
    11. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      What is your reasoning
    12. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      That however you want to define 'massive hit to the mainstream', I don't think SS meets the bill. Not in audience reception, not in critic reception, and not in box office or home video sales.
      I never denied it was successful, but massive hit to the mainstream to me refers to movies like Deadpool and WW, not something like SS which just....wasn't terrible or great. I enjoyed it and rank it above MoS and BvS and JL....but to say it was a massive hit...like...come on.
      I'm down to discuss it further but we need to define the difference between a massive hit and just a hit first.
  5. NinjaGamer13
    October 11, 2018
    So the movie was a huge hit with the mainstream because.... people liked the soundtrack and toys sold? I.e. not because the movie was itself a huge hit? Got it.
    1. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      What don’t you get? Stop being so willfully ignorant
    2. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      Says the kid who can't accept that we have on screen evidence that Superman was fast enough to save Martha and get to Doomsday, that can't accept that Batman deliberately killed onscreen in BvS unlike Baleman, who is truly delusional and thinks Bvs and MoS were massively popular with audiences, who thinks there is some imaginary double standard and that BvS was unfairly attacked yet can't provide any evidence for it...who thinks bright colors are unrealistic while completely ignoring history....
      Man, you sure do crack me up.
      Face is, SS was absolutely successful, but it was in no was 'a massive hit with the mainstream'. There is no data to support that assertion, and plenty of data to disprove it. You want to look at an actual movie that was a massive hit with the mainstream? Look at WW, Deadpool, etc. SS was nowhere near as popular as those movies.
    3. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      Lollll
    4. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      Your delusion is no joke :(
2. Hunter Zolomon
  October 11, 2018
  I would say Robbie's Harley is the biggest reason it was a hit, people adored her so not bringing her back would be stupid.
  1. BatmanNewsChris
    October 11, 2018
    Agreed.
3. ItzSilentStorm
  October 11, 2018
  I dont personally think they NEED to bring back any of the cast. THe name alone will carry weight and the roster of characters will generate interest regardless I think. Throw in someone like Deathstroke and that alone could generate a ton of intrigue.
  1. BatmanNewsChris
    October 11, 2018
    I disagree. When most people hear the name “Suicide Squad”, they’re going to think of Margot Robbie and Will Smith. They’d be disappointed and probably confused if a “Suicide Squad 2” didn’t feature them.
4. ZaQueerdo
  October 11, 2018
  The comparison was made to G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which got rid of most of the cast from the first one save for a few returning actors. I'm pretty sure that's what we'll get; a cast of new villains and then maybe a select few returnees like Harley and Deadshot.
  To be frank, you could lose most of the cast other than those two and most people wouldn't give a shit as long as Will Smith and Margot Robbie came back.
5. Tom
  October 11, 2018
  Will Smith didn’t need to be in it in the first place. Just replace him with literally any actor in the world and put the damn mask on 😂
6. AnonymousHero
  October 13, 2018
  Agreed. They definitely bring the box office with them and Margot is perfect as Harl. She's got it on lock. Plus, Will loves Deadshot and still is interested in future roles as the character. There's no real reason he wouldn't return unless there was a conflict of movie scheduling for something he thought is better.
  If Will did decide to leave and left Deadshot open for hire, Clive Owen and Matthew Fox comes to mind immediately for me. Both a bit on the older side but would still crush it IMO.

NinjaGamer13

October 11, 2018

He’s pretty chill about it

myzterius
October 11, 2018
Why wouldn't he?
1. NinjaGamer13
  October 11, 2018
  I dunno. I thought maybe he’d be a little sour that his movie franchise was being taken over by a really big name in the biz or something
  1. ZaQueerdo
    October 11, 2018
    He clearly didn't have a good time working on the first movie.
  2. myzterius
    October 11, 2018
    Ayer never been the hater type. He knew he made a lot of mistakes with the first squad movie and was taken off the project and replaced by the accountant director. If anybody should be mad or etc, it should be the accountant's director ( forgot his name).

Hunter Zolomon

October 11, 2018

As long it isn't a Guardians clone then i don't mind Gunn doing it.

J.K.2019
October 11, 2018
SS 2 won't be about space adventures.But, Yeah it will be a fun, Team up movie.

J.K.2019

October 11, 2018

No doubt that DC has a great future ahead cause of hiring good directors.Screw Hack Snyder.

FUN
October 11, 2018
At least hack snyder's not a pedo-jokes tweeter, or is that also another reason for you to hate him?

dugzino

October 11, 2018

Sure it's a great thing. He totally fits the direction WB wants to go. Which means go more MCU than actually follow DC Comics. Can't wait for the shitloads of one-liners and inappropriate jokes dropped at inappropriate times. I know Aquaman's already going to have loads of it, but we all know the master at one-liners is James Gunn.
Here's to hoping that the MCU continues in the same path as Avengers 3.

myzterius
October 11, 2018
https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
ZaQueerdo
October 11, 2018
>Which means go more MCU than actually follow DC Comics
I don't know where people get this idea that DC's comics are supposedly devoid of comedy, but that's not the case. Suicide Squad in particular has had runs full of black comedy, especially the stuff by Keith Giffen.
Hunter Zolomon
October 11, 2018
You clearly don't read DC Comics and especially SS comics if you think this.
1. ZaQueerdo
  October 11, 2018
  "BUT THE SUICIDE SQUAD COMICS NEVER HAD JOKES!" https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
  1. NinjaGamer13
    October 11, 2018
    That doesn't seem like a joke?
    1. ZaQueerdo
      October 11, 2018
      Black humor.
    2. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      But it doesn't seem funny, even remotely so. Doesn't even seem like it was meant to be funny and misfired.
    3. ZaQueerdo
      October 11, 2018
      Humor's subjective.
    4. NinjaGamer13
      October 11, 2018
      Yes, or in some cases, not at all present.
    5. ZaQueerdo
      October 11, 2018
      I'll have to take your word for it.

lowdevil

October 11, 2018

Did I read this right? Was Gavin O'Connor's script for this film scrapped because it followed too closely to the birds of prey script? Wasn't the script for ss2 written before bop? If it was, that's interesting since I'm sure Robbie was shown that script first. Maybe I'm off. But Oconner seems pissed.

Flower & Monster & Golden Calf
October 11, 2018
There were 2 scripts for SS2. First one was poached for BoP. Second one was turned in last month but I guess it was still too similar to BoP.
1. lowdevil
  October 11, 2018
  Can you give me a link? Who wrote that first script?

mr nobody

October 11, 2018

Brace and Smart or desperate and unoriginal? WB got the writers of spiderman for Flash, noe this... one thing is to copy a formula and the other is to copy the movies

ZaQueerdo
October 11, 2018
>WB got the writers of spiderman for Flash, noe this... one thing is to copy a formula and the other is to copy the movies
Writers and directors who've worked on films in other genres do projects for other studios all the time. It ain't that deep. David Goyer had three Blade movies for Marvel and New Line under his belt before he did the Nolan Batman trilogy and produced the two Ghost Rider flicks while Nolan's franchise was still running.
It ain't that big a deal.

DudeofSteel1Million

October 11, 2018

https://uploads.disquscdn.c... https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

Damn....

Schuyler Finley
October 11, 2018
If Snyder had included a can of bug spray, then I bet WB would've been okay with this.
1. DudeofSteel1Million
  October 11, 2018
  It's kinda reminiscent of the JL animated series:
  https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
  And that was a kid's show...
  1. Schuyler Finley
    October 11, 2018
    Exactly! Kids shows still get away with showing some very scary horror elements, but God forbid that the live-action films try to do the same thing.
    1. DudeofSteel1Million
      October 11, 2018
      "Invasion..."
      "I think it's something more... Something darker."
      Eh... Not really.
    2. Schuyler Finley
      October 11, 2018
      Seriously, even Disney used to do this shit. "Somebody please think of the children!" Yeah, think of the kids who would either cry at seeing their own shadow, or if their night light isn't on.
    3. DudeofSteel1Million
      October 11, 2018
      Think of the children! You can't show a dead character in a G-rated movie!!!
      ........ Lion King - Rated G.
    4. Schuyler Finley
      October 11, 2018
      https://media.culturalist.c...

ZaQueerdo

October 11, 2018

https://twitter.com/DCComic...

Nahuel Benvenuto

October 11, 2018

It is not even confimed, but whatever, i dont think going the "Guardians" route yet again with SS is the right way to go, they are villains after all, and the humorous tone of the butchered cut we got was already bad, and now they are gonna literally use the director from those movies? I guess money speaks

ZaQueerdo
October 12, 2018
It's confirmed.

AnonymousHero

October 13, 2018

Well WB/DC clearly has no scruples, but I'm with Ayer. I really do think he'd be perfect for this. We'll see how things pan out.

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David Ayer thinks James Gunn is "the right man" for 'Suicide Squad 2'

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