James Gunn has been a big name in the superhero genre. He’s the very man responsible for the Guardians of the Galaxy becoming household names—not to mention having given them two blockbusters to their name. After the director was the subject of a massive controversy, many thought his career to be over. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, and his break from Marvel led to a nice surprise: The Suicide Squad.
While the first attempt in the franchise fell flat on its face, Gunn’s most recent interpretation landed well with audiences and critics alike. In fact, it even spawned an immensely popular streaming series named Peacemaker after the success it gained in theaters and on HBO Max.
But what are the odds that fans will get a proper sequel to last year’s movie? Sadly, according to the director himself, the odds don’t seem great.
Thankfully, it’s not all bad news.
A Discouraging Suicide Squad Update
In an interview with The Playlist, The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn talked about what may be next for him after Guardians Vol. 3 is in the bag.
So, has Gunn truly talked about doing a proper sequel to The Suicide Squad? The director confirmed how “[they’ve] talked about it,” but that “[he] just [has] so many hours in a day to work on stuff:”
“Yeah, we’ve talked about it,… but the honest truth is, I just have so many hours in a day to work on stuff. And I had such a fun time working in television that I really think that’s what I’m going to spend the next year of my life doing.”
The director continued, confirming that he doesn’t even know what his next movie will be— it could end up being a property outside of both Marvel and DC Comics:
“I’m thinking about what that next movie will be… and is that next movie going to be— if first of all, it could be something completely different than [the world of DC]. And I’m excited about Mike De Luca coming in to [Warner Bros.], frankly, because I’ve known him for a long time, and I love Toby [Emmerich], but I’ve also known De Luca. He’s been a friend of mine for many, many years.”
Gunn suggested that a third Suicide Squad movie is far from guaranteed in the near future, indicating that his next "DC movie that has to do with these characters" wouldn't necessarily even be a direct sequel to The Suicide Squad:
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do next because it could be a movie outside of [DC], but it could be a DC movie that has to do with these characters… does that mean it’s the ‘Suicide Squad’ movie or something else that’s within that world or a little bit different than that? And that I’m not exactly sure.”
It was recently revealed that an Amanda Waller series is in the works, with Gunn involved. When asked about it, the filmmaker stood firm, stating how “[they] haven’t even announced a TV series yet:”
“We haven’t even announced any TV series yet… there’s a lot of stories out there about what’s happening, and some of them are accurate, some of them are not.”
Whether it’s his next movie or not, Gunn did confirm how he is “working very seriously on another DC project” and is involved in several others as well:
“I am working very seriously on another DC project, where I’m very involved in the writing and the direction of it… there will be some blending of the characters from ‘Peacemaker’ in the other shows I’m working on. And I’m involved with a couple of other [DC] things too.”
No More Suicide Squad... For Now
It sure looks like fans shouldn’t expect a direct sequel to The Suicide Squad. Instead, viewers should buckle up for more Peacemaker and offshoots like it.
The way Gunn speaks about his work, he seems to have an intense level of enjoyment with his work in the DC Comics television/streaming space—something he claims will definitely be the focus after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is complete.
But will this be the Amanda Waller show? Something else entirely? Hopefully, Gunn will feel the desire to continue the story of characters like King Shark or Bloodsport. After all, Idris Elba’s villain has some unfinished business with John Cena’s Peacemaker, thanks to him being alive and well, instead of being crushed by a building.
As for Marvel, it truly does seem like the director is done with the MCU for a good long while after his last adventure with his cosmic group of misfits.
The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker are streaming on HBO Max, Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special hits Disney+ later this year, and Vol. 3 arrives in theaters on May 5, 2023.
