It always seemed like a matter of time before James Gunn got another shot in Hollywood.
The Hollywood Reporter has officially reported (fittingly) that the man behind the Guardians of the Galaxy movies is in talks to direct the new Suicide Squad movie. We already knew he was writing the new take on DC’s iconic supervillains, but the news that he will probably be in complete control hopefully draws a line under one of the stupidest Hollywood firings in history.
That same Hollywood Reporter piece noted that the new Suicide Squad film is a reboot rather than a sequel. It will be titled The Suicide Squad and feature “mostly an all-new cast of characters and actors”. Gunn’s brief is to “take the franchise in a new direction”, with sources saying that “the project is also very much rooted in Gunn’s vibe, as seen in the Guardians movies”.
So, in short, James Gunn is being given the keys to another superhero film franchise. It remains to be seen who, if anyone, comes back from the uneven 2016 Suicide Squad, which starred Will Smith as Deadshot, Jared Leto as The Joker, and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and somewhat split critics. Given that James Gunn basically accused Leto of being a paedophile on Twitter in May 2018, it seems a pretty fair bet to guess that his Joker won’t be returning.
With this move, Gunn is effectively jumping ship from Marvel to its arch-rival DC (although not by choice of course) and an injection of his manic energy could be exactly what’s needed to revive a studio that so often seems plagued by superhero film that take themselves far too seriously.
The Suicide Squad is pencilled in for an August 2021 release date so there’s a long time to wait, but at least Gunn will be given the time he needs to do this reboot justice.
