There's no denying that Suicide Squad will go down as one of 2016's most interesting films. Despite the critical lashing it received, the movie made a ton of money -- thus guaranteeing a sequel. In fact, the DCEU took a seriously fascinating turn when it was announced that Mel Gibson is being considered to helm the project. However, Gibson's involvement isn't set in stone, and it now seems that DC has also considered Ruben Fleischer and Jonathan Levine to potentially take on the project as well.
A new report from Variety confirms that Warner Bros. and DC have considered Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer and Warm Bodies' Jonathan Levine to helm the upcoming Suicide Squad sequel if Mel Gibson doesn't pan out. The film is obviously in the very earliest stages of development, so at this point, it remains to be seen who DC will ultimately opt to sign for the project. Only one thing is clear at this stage: Suicide Squad 2 is already attracting some compelling filmmaking talent.
When it comes to Ruben Fleischer, there's an easy case to be made that he's a solid pick to helm Suicide Squad 2. His work on Zombieland established him as a filmmaker who delivers action and comedy in equal measure -- along with a healthy degree of human emotion. Beyond that, Zombieland shares quite a few visual similarities to Suicide Squad, such as fourth wall breaks and information directly projected onto the screen. Stylistically speaking, he's very consistent with what David Ayer established in the first film.
By contrast, Jonathan Levine has considerably less experience with straightforward action, but his filmography is chock full of offbeat comedies that could easily match the tone and style necessary for a Suicide Squad movie. He also has experience adapting literary material into a feature length film from his work on Warm Bodies, so he could represent the right choice to translate Task Force X to the silver screen in a more faithful way than David Ayer ever could. It's also worth mentioning that Levine was at one time considered to take on the Spider-Man franchise, so there's ample precedent for him to potentially work within the superhero genre.
One of the most interesting elements of this development is the fact that there is apparently no definitive frontrunner to helm Suicide Squad 2 yet. Mel Gibson is the biggest name in the running, and he was the first name announced in relation to the project, but at this point it's anyone's guess as to who will take the reins for the film. We have already spoken at length regarding why Gibson may be the best choice, but Fleischer and Levine would both represent extraordinary opportunities as well.
We will bring you more information related to Suicide Squad 2 as more details become available to us. The film is currently in development at DC.
This poll is no longer available.
