James Gunn may have landed his next big gig.
Months after the filmmaker was booted from Disney and the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, several sources claim he is talks to work for DC Films, Marvel's arch nemesis. (DC would like you to see it that way, at least.)
Insiders told The Hollywood Reporter the studio has contacted Gunn to pen the script for new Suicide Squad project, and has proposed a potential directing role. THR journalists Borys Kit and Mia Galuppo report Gunn isn't working on a proper sequel, but will deliver a completely different project centered on the DC villains. It's unclear if the original cast will return for the purported film.
Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista responded to the news via Twitter:
The embattled director helmed the first two installments of Guardians of the Galaxy, and was expected to return for the third; however, Disney announced the decision to cut ties with Gunn due to controversial tweets that resurfaced earlier this year. The posts in question were shared from 2008 to 2011, and included a number of jokes about pedophilia and molestation.
Shorty after the tweets re-emerged, Gunn issued a new apology via social media, having also addressed the remarks previously.
Despite Gunn's apology and widespread support from Hollywood insiders, Disney chose to part ways with the director, claiming the aforementioned" tweets were indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values."
"The James Gunn decision was brought to me as a unanimous decision of a variety of executives at the studio and I supported it," Disney CEO Bob Iger told THR last month. "I haven't second-guessed their decision."
Joss Whedon came over to DC to co-direct Justice League (and join, then bail on, a Batgirl flick) after starting up the Avengers franchise for Marvel with the original and its sequel Age of Ultron.
