As the third entry of the DC Extended Universe, Suicide Squad was one of the biggest commercial hits of 2016, making over $745 million worldwide. With money like that, it's no surprise that DC and Warner Bros have been working to get the sequel off the ground. For months there have been numerous contenders mentioned to replace David Ayer as director, but today that search comes to a close, as The Accountant's Gavin O'Connor has been selected to helm Suicide Squad 2.
According to THR, Gavin O'Connor has come aboard to both write and direct Suicide Squad 2. O'Connor's name emerges after other directors like Mel Gibson, Jaume Collet-Serra and Daniel Espinosa were reported to be in the running to take on Suicide Squad 2. At one point Collet-Serra was reportedly the frontrunner for the gig, but he ended up taking Jungle Cruise over at Disney, and now O'Connor has stepped in to oversee the DC project. As for David Ayer, he's still working in the DCEU, but he's shifted his attention to Gotham City Sirens.
Gavin O'Connor's directing credits include Miracle, Warrior, Jane Got a Gun and The Accountant, with the latter movie proving to be a quiet hit for Warner Bros last year. No doubt that played a role in the studio deciding that O'Connor was the right person to direct Suicide Squad 2. The Accountant 2 is in development, and even with this Suicide Squad 2 news, O'Connor is still expected to helm the sequel to the Ben Affleck action movie, though it's possible it may now be delayed to O'Connor can dedicate his focus to the team of DC criminals.
Right now, it looks like Suicide Squad 2 will be the next DCEU movie to film after Shazam, which is reportedly rolling cameras early next year. However, exactly when Suicide Squad 2 will begin filming is unclear, as some of the actors have packed schedules for the foreseeable future, like Will Smith working the live action Aladdin movie and Margot Robbie working on Mary Queen of Scots. Because of these timing conflicts, it may not be until the latter half of 2018 before the Squad reassembles.
No official Suicide Squad 2 plot details have been revealed yet, but like its predecessor and the comic book source material, it will revolve around a team of incarcerated super villains forced to go on dangerous missions for the U.S. government. Most, if not all, of the surviving members of the team from the first movie are expected to return for Suicide Squad 2, but you can be sure that a couple of new faces will be brought in to fill the positions left by the late Slipknot and Diablo. The Legend of Tarzan's Adam Cozad is penning the sequel's script.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates regarding Suicide Squad 2 as they come in.
