The Suicide Squad sequel has cycled through a few possible directors in its search to replace the director of the first film, David Ayer. First there was the surprising courting of Mel Gibson that fell through, before Jaume Collet-Serra looked to have signed on before leaving to instead direct Dwayne Johnson in Jungle Cruise for Disney.
The search is now over, though. Gavin O’Connor (The Accountant, Warrior) has signed on to write and direct the superhero sequel. Other names in the running were Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies) and Daniel Espinosa (Life), but the studio seems to have settled on O’Connor, who already has roots at Warner Bros. with The Accountant as well as it’s upcoming sequel.
Suicide Squad 2 isn’t set to head into production until autumn 2018, but after the first film was infamously rushed and also infamously turned out terribly, it’s understandable that DC wants someone to take a very early crack at the script this time around, so O’Connor will begin working on it right away.
Yet with stars Will Smith and Margot Robbie set to return as Deadshot and Harley Quinn, respectively, their busy schedules may cause the production date to alter a little once we move closer.
O’Connor hasn’t blown Hollywood away with his recent work, but perhaps importantly for DC and Warner Bros., he’s been a consistent director making solid films. After the failure of the first Suicide Squad, the studio clearly wants to get the franchise back on track quickly, and will hope O’Connor can bring that steady hand to their film that he’s brought to his others.
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