"Hacksaw Ridge" director Mel Gibson may replace "Suicide Squad" director David Ayer and might be teaming up with "Mad Max" director George Miller in the upcoming sequel "Suicide Squad 2." He is being courted by Warner Bros. to join the DC Extended Universe as the next director.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gibson and Warner Bros. are in early talks for "Suicide Squad 2." Reports suggest that he is familiarizing himself with the material. However, there is no official offer or any commitments made.
In addition to Gibson, the Warner Bros. studio is also eyeing and planning to meet with "Safe House" director Daniel Espinosa, "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleischer, and "Warm Bodies" director Jonathan Levine, Variety reported. The list of directors could grow since there is no front-runner at this moment.
Last year, Ayer wrote and directed the initial "Suicide Squad" movie, including an all-star cast of Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Will Smith (Deadshot), and Jared Leto (the Joker). He reunites Robbie in "Gotham City Sirens," which is currently in development and focuses on the DC Universe's bad-ass female villains.
The original "Suicide Squad" faced some hurdles during its production but earned a gross of $745 million worldwide, which is enough to fast track the upcoming sequel. It is about the story of villains, who are forced to serve the government in exchange for their lighter sentences.
If Gibson takes on "Suicide Squad 2," the upcoming sequel would be his first directing career for a major studio ever since he directed the 1995 film "Braveheart" for Paramount. His first directed film in 10 years was the World War II action-drama "Hacksaw Ridge," which was released last year. It earned him best director in the recent Oscar nominations and grossed $164 million worldwide up to date.
Besides "Suicide Squad 2" offer, Gibson is also in talks to join the comedian Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg on "Daddy's Home 2" for Paramount. He is reteaming with "Hacksaw Ridge" actor Vince Vaughn for the crime indie film "Dragged Across Concrete."
Watch the video about Mel Gibson directing "Suicide Squad 2":
