After earning himself an Oscar nomination for his directorial effort on last year’s Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson is back in Hollywood’s good graces. Now the director is reportedly being “courted” by Warner Bros. to direct Suicide Squad 2, this according to reports from Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Gibson directing a movie in the DC Extended Universe, let alone a comic book movie is just “wishful thinking.” Last year, the director took shots at the effort Warner Bros. put forth on Batman v Superman, and also on the genre as a whole.
“And it’s a piece of shit,” Gibson told Deadline during an interview after hearing about Batman v Superman’s $250 million budget. “I’m not interested in the stuff. Do you know what the difference between real superheroes and comic book superheroes is? Real superheroes didn’t wear spandex. So I don’t know. Spandex must cost a lot.”
Well it appears that Gibson might possibly have a change of heart, considering he’s entered talks to helm the sequel. The Hollywood Reporter mentioned that Gibson “is familiarizing himself with the material.” Remember, the Suicide Squad don’t consider themselves to be superhero type. They’re mostly non-super powered criminals sent by the government on missions with a low chance of survival. This property has the best chance at gaining a director like Gibson, with its grounded and dark nature.
Whether he ends up directing the sequel or not remains to be seen. Also being eyed to direct Suicide Squad 2 is Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), Daniel Espinosa (Safe House), and Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies). Meanwhile, David Ayer is following up the first Suicide Squad with directing duties on Gotham City Sirens, a spinoff featuring some of DC’s most popular female villains: Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman. Margot Robbie is expected to reprise her role as Harley Quinn.
What do you think? Is Gibson a good choice for the super-villain sequel? Which characters do you want to see back? Which ones added? Is a sequel even a good idea? Both Suicide Squad 2 and Gotham City Sirens currently have no release dates.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Batman-News.com.