It has been a bumpy road for the DCEU up to this point, but one shining beacon of hope for the franchise in recent years has been the work of James Gunn.
The director's DC debut came with 2021's The Suicide Squad, which was quickly followed up by the HBO Max spin-off Peacemaker. Both were critical successes, with many calling Gunn's work in the series some of the best seen in the DCEU.
So would he ever return for a potential Suicide Squad 3? In the past, the director has said that "[they’ve] talked about it," but he "just [has] so many hours in a day to work on stuff.” And that sentiment has remained the same as the director offers another update on a Suicide Squad threequel.
Disappointing News for Suicide Squad 3
Replying to a tweet asking about Suicide Squad 3, The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn offered up a disappointing update.
Replying to a fan who asked "If you could do another Squad movie, would you?," the director said "I have some other stuff to do first."
This is not the first time the filmmaker has commented on a potential third Suicide Squad movie. In a recent interview with The Playlist, Gunn said that he has had "such a fun time working in television," so that is what he wants to do for "the next year of [his] life:"
“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 said when thinking about what "[his] next movie will be" he thinks it could "be something completely different than [the world of DC]:"
“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.”
But he really isn't 100% sure what that next film project could be. He remarks it "it could be a DC movie that has to do with [The Suicide Squad] characters," but he's "not exactly sure" if that could be a "Suicide Squad movie or something else that’s within that world:"
“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.”
Whether Gunn's next film is Suicide Squad 3 or not, he has made it clear that he is currently "working very seriously on another DC project:"
“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.”
The Busy Life of James Gunn
At this point in James Gunn's career, he has earned himself the right to choose what he wants to do next and when he wants to do it. The director has become one of the most in-demand names in the movie industry (especially when it comes to the world of Marvel and DC) and has continued to produce stellar output everywhere he has gone.
If a Suicide Squad 3 is in the cards, Warner Bros. would be silly not to have Gunn involved. So that means the studio may have to wait until the filmmaker is ready.
And right now he is looking busy. He mentions the number of DC projects he has in the works right now, along with Peacemaker, and his Guardians of the Galaxy work over with Marvel Studios, so it makes sense why he may not have time for another theatrical project with DC.
But that's not to say it would never happen. Gunn has been vocal about how much he enjoyed working on The Suicide Squad, so seeing him return to that directing chair would not be all that surprising.
