James Gunn is back, and he's bringing the Suicide Squad with him

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The Guardians of the Galaxy director is writing (and possibly directing) DCEU's Suicide Squad 2

It's a classic move, making your ex regret dumping you by hooking up with their biggest rival. Warner Bros. just hired ex-Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn to write - and possibly direct - its Suicide Squad sequel. According to Deadline, he'll bring "a completely new take on the property to Suicide Squad" which, despite Margot Robbie's perfect performance as Harley Quinn, is probably for the best. 

The Marvel to DC move comes after Gunn was fired by Disney - just months before filming started on his Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - after controversial tweets he made between 2009 and 2012 were found and shared by conservative provocateurs in an effort to discredit Gunn. Gunn responded with a lengthy apology on his social media.

“My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative. I have regretted them for many years since — not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don’t reflect the person I am today or have been for some time," he said. 

“Regardless of how much time has passed, I understand and accept the business decisions taken today. Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then. All I can do now, beyond offering my sincere and heartfelt regret, is to be the best human being I can be: accepting, understanding, committed to equality, and far more thoughtful about my public statements and my obligations to our public discourse. To everyone inside my industry and beyond, I again offer my deepest apologies. Love to all.”

Fans and colleagues alike were horrified by the decision to fire him, and the Guardians of the Galaxy cast even shared an open letter to let fans know they "fully support James Gunn." 

Gunn replaces director Gavin O’Connor on Suicide Squad 2, who previously worked on math and murder Ben Affleck vehicle The Accountant. 

Find more to look forward to in 2018, 2019, and beyond in our list of upcoming movies. 

Rachel Weber
Rachel Weber
Contributor

Rachel Weber is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+ and lives in Brooklyn, New York. She joined GamesRadar+ in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team.