With Hacksaw Ridge enjoying some major Oscar love, we all know Mel Gibson’s first directorial effort since Apocalypto will lead to more stints behind the camera, but I don’t think anyone saw this coming. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gibson is being sought by Warner Bros. to take the helm of Suicide Squad 2, taking DC Comic’s group of anti-heroes under his wing while original director David Ayer works on the Harley Quinn centric Gotham City Sirens. Given the critically mauled Suicide Squad's ‘problematic’ approach to women and minorities rubbed some audiences up the wrong way, a director’s whose own dealings with said groups are equally ‘problematic’ seems like a very odd, even disastrous, choice. But Gibson has enjoyed something of a career resurrection as of late, and his previous work has showcased a gritty, visceral aesthetic that would suit Suicide Squad down to the ground. Not to mention he would wield enough power that we’d likely get something more cohesive than the tonal mess that was the original. But the question to ask is, would Gibson even consider directing the sequel? His previous movies (besides maybe The Man Without a Face) were a lot meatier than a group of anti-heroes fight CGI bad guys, and looking at the likes of Braveheart, Apocalypto, and Hacksaw Ridge, Suicide Squad 2 seems like a bit of step down.
But Warner Bros. apparently aren’t putting all their eggs in the Gibson basket, with a shortlist of directors including Rueben Fleischer (Zombieland), Daniel Espinosa (Safe House), and Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies). No matter who Warner Bros. decide upon, this news is just another example of the back ground turmoil the DCEU is going through. Only recently Ben Affleck dropped out of directing The Batman, being replaced by Matt Reeves, and The Flash, which has also seen its fair share of directors come and go, is currently undergoing a page one rewrite. Maybe Gibosn’s into;vent would see it get it back on track. Of course, this piece of news has yet to be made official, so we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds for the DCEU.
But Warner Bros. apparently aren’t putting all their eggs in the Gibson basket, with a shortlist of directors including Rueben Fleischer (Zombieland), Daniel Espinosa (Safe House), and Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies). No matter who Warner Bros. decide upon, this news is just another example of the back ground turmoil the DCEU is going through. Only recently Ben Affleck dropped out of directing The Batman, being replaced by Matt Reeves, and The Flash, which has also seen its fair share of directors come and go, is currently undergoing a page one rewrite. Maybe Gibosn’s into;vent would see it get it back on track. Of course, this piece of news has yet to be made official, so we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds for the DCEU.
