‘Suicide Squad 2’ Might Get Mel Gibson To Direct
Like so many other big stars before him,Mel Gibsonis considering going the superhero movie route. But not as an actor — as a director. Warner Bros. reportedly wants Gibson to helm the sequel toSuicide Squad, which, despite the negative reviews from critics and the polarized reactions from fans, earned a healthy chunk of change at the box office last summer.
Lest we get ahead of ourselves,The Hollywood Reportercautions that Gibson and Warner Bros. are still “early in talks,” and that “no official offer has been made.” Gibson’s far enough along that he’s started to get acquainted with the material, but the studio is still eyeing other filmmakers includingDaniel Espinosa(Safe House).Varietyadds thatJonathan Levine(50/50) andRuben Fleischer(Zombieland) are also in the running. The firstSuicide Squadmovie was written by David Ayer, who’ll be tied up working on the spinoffGotham City Sirens.
Gibson has spent most of the past decade bogged down in controversy for (among other things) making anti-Semitic, racist, and sexist remarks. At one point, he was so reviled thathe couldn’t even film aHangover IIcameowithout drawing the ire of the cast, crew, and fans. As recently as 2014, his friend Robert Downey Jr. was basicallypleading with the industry to forgive Gibson, telling press he’d star inIron Man 4if and only if Gibson would direct. (That didn’t work out, obviously, so I guessSuicide Squad 2could be his chance to direct a superhero movie.)
But in the past several months, he’s enjoyed a career renaissance — albeit not without plenty of criticism from detractors who haven’t forgotten his hateful comments.Hacksaw Ridge, his first directorial effort in a decade, wasnominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, and he’s been riding high off its success. In short order, he signed on forthe sequel toDaddy’s Homeas well as a cop drama calledDragged Across Concrete, fromBone Tomahawkdirector S. Craig Zahler. He’s evenstarted talking againabout making aPassion of the Christsequel, calledThe Resurrection.
In the past, Gibson’ssounded kind of ambivalentabout the rise of superhero movies in Hollywood. “Some are good. Some are kind of funny,” he said, citingGuardians of the GalaxyandIron Man. “And some of them are just like retreats. I mean you can watch them do Spider-Man five times.” But he seems to view it as part of a larger change within the industry, adding, “I think you used to get more variety of stories, films and performances.”
Warner Bros.' DC franchise has been off to a very rocky start (creatively, if not commercially) and the studio has made repeated efforts to reassure fans that they’re righting the ship. And that makes Gibson a really bizarre choice. I can’t imagine this will go down well with all of DC’s fans, and the last thing the franchise needs right now is to alienate viewers before the film even starts shooting. Again, though, keep in mind this is still in the early stages and there’s still time for the studio to change its mind. We’ll keep you updated as the story develops.
